TO GET HOME YEAH, WITH A KSAT EXPLAINS IS UP NEXT. LET’S FACE IT. IT IS BEEN A
TOUGH COLD AND FLU SEASON.
COVID IS OBVIOUSLY STILL A
CONCERN. BUT IT’S THE VIRUSES
THAT HAVE ALWAYS BEEN
CIRCULATING THAT ARE CAUSING.
>> SOME SERIOUS ILLNESS AND
FILLING UP HOSPITALS, THINGS
LIKE FLU AND RSV. SO WHY HAS
THIS SEASON BEEN SO BAD?
>> HERE’S KSAT EXPLAINS.
>> THIS YEAR THINGS HAVE BEEN A
LITTLE BIT.
>> WEIRD. THIS IS DOCTOR TEST
BART. I’M ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
OF PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS
DISEASES AT UT HEALTH SAN
ANTONIO. IT’S WHERE SHE’S SEEN
FIRSTHAND AND ODD COLD AND FLU
SEASON. WE HAD A VERY UNUSUAL
SUMMER RSP SURGE WHEN KIDS WERE
STILL LATHERED IN SUNSCREEN
AT PARKS AND SPLASH PADS, THEN
WE STARTED HAVING VERY EARLY
FLU SEASON IN EARLY OCTOBER.
WELL, BEFORE THE CANDY AND THE
COSTUMES HOSPITALS IN TEXAS AND
NATIONWIDE FILLED UP FAST BEDS
WERE HARD TO COME BY. SO WHY?
WHY ARE THINGS SO SEVERE FOR SO
MANY MORE YOUNG PATIENTS?
WELL, ANOTHER NASTY VIRUS IS
TAKING THE BLAME COVID. THE
THING THAT’S MOST LIKELY IS
THAT WE SORT OF UPSET OUR
NORMAL.
>> PATTERNS OF GETTING
INFECTIONS AND GETTING IN AND
GETTING, YOU KNOW, SOME
IMMUNITY TO INFECTIONS DURING
DURING THE PANDEMIC. RSV IS
USUALLY MOST SEVERE FOR INFANTS
BECAUSE IM TITLE AIRWAYS AND
THEY JUST COMPLETELY CAUGHT UP
WITH MUCUS. MUCUS CLOGS THE
AIRWAYS THAT GO DOWN INTO THE
LONGEST THAT’S CALLED BROCKIE
ALLY TO SOME LITTLE ONES.
>> INFANTS AND SMALL CHILDREN
CAN’T COUGH LIKE ADULTS OR
OLDER CHILDREN TO CLEAR THAT
MASK. SO THEIR AIRWAYS CAN GET
BLOCKED OFF. YOU MIGHT.
>> I HAVE TROUBLE BREATHING
OR HAVE RAPID BREATHING OR THEY
ACTUALLY. AND THE BLUISH TINGE
BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT ACTUALLY
DOING WELL. BUT DURING THE
PANDEMIC, THE BABIES WHO WOULD
NORMALLY BE EXPOSED RECIPE AND
BUILD UP SOME OF UNITY.
>> WEREN’T EXPOSED TO IT
BECAUSE OF THE PRECAUTIONS WE
ALL NEEDED TO TAKE FOR COVID.
SO RSV CAME ROARING BACK THIS
SEASON AS POST-PANDEMIC
NORMALCY RETURNED ALONG WITH
THE FLU LAST YEAR WASN’T A BAD
OFFER FLU THAN THE YEAR BEFORE
THAT IT WAS ALMOST NONEXISTENT.
BOTH THE FLU AND RSV ARE
CONSIDERED AEROSOLIZED VIRUSES,
MEANING SOMEBODY COSTS A
BREATHE OUT THE PARTICLES.
AND THEN THE NEXT PERSON BEING
FUN AND THOSE PARTICLES GET
INTO THE NOSE AND THEN COME THE
SYMPTOMS WHICH CAN BE SIMILAR
FOR FLU AND RSV FEVER, CHILLS,
BODY ACHES. THAT’S WHAT YOUR
BODY DOES WHEN IT’S FIGHTING
OFF THESE VIRUSES IN THE CASE
OF FLU, IN PARTICULAR, REALLY
TRIGGER YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM TO
MAKE A BIG REACTION AND THE
KIND OF DESTRUCTION IN TUCSON,
WHICH ALSO MAKES IT EASIER FOR.
>> BACTERIA AND OTHER OTHER
INFECTIONS TO KIND OF COME
ALONG RIGHT AFTER AND AND AND
WIPE YOU OUT. SO IT’S NOT
UNCOMMON TO SEE SOMEBODY GET
FLU AND THEN GET A SECOND
INFECTION IMMEDIATELY
AFTERWARDS, SOMETHING LIKE
PNEUMONIA EVEN IN SATELLITE US,
THAT’S BRAIN INFLAMMATION.
>> THE GOOD NEWS IS SOMETHING
YOU ALREADY KNOW. THERE’S A FLU
VACCINE EVERY YEAR TO PREVENT
SEVERE ILLNESS. AND EVERY YEAR
YOU HEAR ABOUT FLU, A AND FLU
B. SO WHAT EXACTLY ARE THEY?
THE FLU VACCINE IS TYPICALLY A
LIVE ATTENUATED VACCINE.
JOANNE TURNER WAS EXECUTIVE
VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH AT
TEXAS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
INSTITUTE LOCAL ATTENUATED
VACCINE, WHICH MEANS IT’S BEEN
MADE TO BE LESS VIRULENT, A
LESS DANGEROUS
>> AND THEN WE WILL GENETICALLY
ENGINEER IT ESSENTIALLY TO LOOK
LIKE WHATEVER THE SEASONAL FLU
IS. THAT’S COMING OUT FOLLOWING
IS A LIVE ATTENUATED VACCINE
DOES NOT MEAN THE VACCINE
CONTAINS THE ACTUAL FLU VIRUS.
YOU DON’T GET INFECTED BY IT.
YOU KNOW, FOR SOME PEOPLE THE
VACCINE MIGHT MAKE THEM FEEL
CRUMMY. THAT’S YOUR BODY’S
IMMUNE SYSTEM GETTING TO WORK.
SO YOU WANT YOUR BODY TO THINK
HE’S GOT A REAL INFECTION.
>> SO THAT MEANS THE VIRUS WILL
TURN ON HOLES, SAME PATHWAYS
THAT IT WOULD IF YOU SAW THE
REAL FLU.
AND THEN IT’S JUST COMMON CAUSE
DISEASE. THE FLU VACCINE AIMS
TO PROTECT AGAINST FLU. A AND
FLU BE ROUGHLY 100 LABS ACROSS
THE 100 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
REPORT TO THE WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION.
>> THEY LOOK AT FLU TRENDS ALL
AROUND THE GLOBE. SO WILL OFTEN
SEE A FLU OUTBREAK IN A
DIFFERENT COUNTRY BEFORE IT
COMES TO US. I WILL SEE THE
TRENDS OF WHICH
CIRCULATING. I’M IN A PROJECT
THAT WAS AND THEY WILL TRY AND
MAKE SEVERAL OF THEM.
>> AND AS THE SEASON GETS
CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE U.S.,
THEY’LL BE AS PREDICTS MORE
READILY. WHAT’S GOING TO BE
THE FLUID OFF THAT YEAR.
THAT PREDICTION OF WHAT VIRUSES
WILL BE THE MOST COMMON FOR
THE SEASON IS WHAT ENDS UP IN
THE VACCINE.
>> THOSE TYPES OF FLU COMMONLY
LABELED A AND B FOR THE YEAR
ARE CHANGED TO BE LESS
VIRULENT, NOT INFECTIOUS AND
PUT INTO THE VACCINE TO
EXPOSURE BODY TO THE SO YOUR
IMMUNE SYSTEM IS READY IF THE
REAL DEAL FLU COMES ALONG.
THE FLU VACCINE TAKES ABOUT 6
MONTHS TO MAKE. SO WHILE WE’RE
STILL IN THE CURRENT FLU
SEASON, RESEARCHERS ARE ALREADY
WORKING ON THE VACCINE FOR THE
NEXT SEASON. WE DO HAVE THAT IN
OUR TOOL BOX TO TRY TO, YOU
KNOW, CUT OUR CAR RISKS OF
CATCHING.
>> THE FLU EACH YEAR, IT’S A
DIFFERENT STORY, THOUGH, FOR
RSV RIGHT NOW. THERE’S NOT A
VACCINE FOR IT. AND THERE’S
A CHALLENGING HISTORY BACK IN
THE 1960’S THEY MADE AN RSV
VACCINE.
>> THEY HOME AND FIX THE VIRUS
WHICH MEANS THEY JUST KILLED
IT. I’M A THE KILLED VIRUS,
2 BABIES. SO IT’S NOT
INFECTIOUS. BUT SOMEHOW THAT
VACCINE AND THAT MAKING
INFECTION WAS SO SOON AS THAT
BABY SORE RSV INFECTION FOR
THE FIRST TIME, IT ACTUALLY
RESPONDED MUCH MORE RAPIDLY AND
I WOULDN’T LEAVE AND LET MY
CHILDREN GO HOSPITALIZED.
SCIENCE HAS ADVANCED IN THE
DECADE SINCE AND NOW PFIZER IS
TRYING TO CREATE AN RSV VACCINE
TO PROTECT INFANTS, SPIED
VACCINATING PREGNANT WOMEN.
WOMEN PASS ON ANTIBODIES ACROSS
THE HELP TO PROTECT THE BABY IN
THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF LIFE.
THE BABY WHEN ITS FORMAL HAVE
THOSE ANTIBODIES CIRCULATING
AND IT CAN PROTECT THEM UP TO
ABOUT 6 MONTHS 8, WHICH IS
REALLY A CRITICAL TIME WHEN
YOU DON’T WANT TO GET OUR VIEW
FULL. ACTUALLY, THERE’S ALSO A
MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THAT’S BEEN
DEVELOPED TO PROTECT INFANTS
FROM RSV. IT’S CALLED NEAR 7
MAP CREATED BY ASTRAZENECA.
>> IT’S A SINGLE INJECTION THAT
SHOWN SOME PROMISE, BUT IT
STILL HAS TO UNDERGO FDA
REVIEW.
FORTUNATELY, RSV CASES APPEAR
TO HAVE PEAKED AT THE U.S. AND
FLU CASES ARE DECREASING.
BUT HERE’S SOMETHING TO KEEP
IN MIND. IF YOU HAVE TO DEAL
WITH EITHER PRESCRIPTION
TAMIFLU. WAS THE TREATMENT USED
FOR THE FLU IN BOTH CHILDREN
AND ADULTS BY SOME MIRACLE.
IT’S IT’S REMAINED ACTIVE
AGAINST OUR FLU VIRUSES.
PLUS REST HYDRATION AND GOOD
NUTRITION ARE KEY. THOSE ALSO
HAPPEN TO BE THE MAIN
TREATMENTS FOR ALL REST ME.
THERE’S NO PRESCRIPTION FOR
THAT PARENTS. IT’S IMPORTANT TO
REMEMBER AND I’M SPEAKING FROM
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE ON THIS
ONE. RSV SYMPTOMS SEEM TO BE AT
THEIR WORST. THEIR PEAK BETWEEN
DAY 3, 5 OF THE ILLNESS.
>> MY TODDLER HAD A SERIOUS
CASE OF RSV LAST YEAR AND
THANKFULLY HE’S HEALTHY AND
DOING FINE NOW. BUT I WANTED TO
POINT OUT ONE MORE THING THAT I
LEARNED DURING THAT SIGNS OF
WHEN THEY ARE STRUGGLING TO
BREATHE AND IT’S TIME TO GET
SOME MEDICAL HELP. LOOK AT YOUR
CHILD’S RIBS RIGHT UNDERNEATH
THAT. THE BOTTOM, IF YOU
NOTICED HUGGING THERE RIGHT AT
THE MUSCLES UNDERNEATH OR AT
THE BASE OF THE THROAT, THE
BASE OF THE NECK, THEY MIGHT BE
STRUGGLING TO GET AIR. ALSO A
LOT OF BELLY BREATHING IN
BABIES. ALL SIGNS THAT IT IS
TIME TO GET TO AN EMERGENCY
ROOM. YOU CAN WATCH THE STORY
ON DEMAND BY SCANNING THIS QR
CODE. IT’S WHERE YOU CAN ALSO