British Columbia is experiencing a surge in respiratory illnesses, including RSV and walking pneumonia, as the holiday season kicks off. Health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated.
As B.C. enters the busy holiday season of social gatherings, health officials are reporting a steady rise in respiratory illnesses, including respiratory syncytial virus ( RSV ) and walking pneumonia in children. RSV has increased by 10.3 percent over the past week, mainly affecting children in the Lower Mainland, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control's (CDC) update on Friday.
Flu cases remain low but are beginning to climb, with a nearly 7 percent increase in reported cases compared to last week. However, COVID-19 cases continue to decline, along with hospital admissions and deaths. The CDC states that there are approximately 84 individuals hospitalized with COVID, down from 92 last week and 121 two weeks ago. Despite this, health officials anticipate the peak of respiratory illnesses this season to occur in the coming weeks, similar to last year. Consequently, residents, particularly those at higher risk, such as older adults, young children, and individuals with weakened immune systems, are strongly encouraged to receive their flu and COVID-19 vaccinations if they haven't already. The next respiratory illness update from the B.C. CDC is scheduled for January 9. Meanwhile, cases of walking pneumonia among children appear to be rising, along with RSV cases. Walking pneumonia is a non-medical term for a mild lung infection, typically affecting children and teenagers, caused by the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae. It differs from RSV, which is caused by a virus rather than bacteria. While cases of walking pneumonia, or M. pneumoniae, are not reported to public health authorities, the CDC reports that respiratory infections caused by M. pneumoniae are higher than in previous years, particularly among individuals under 20 years old. B.C. Children’s Hospital has also observed an increase in children with the bacterial infection presenting to its emergency department since August. Symptoms of walking pneumonia include a sore throat, sneezing, cough, headache, mild chills, and low-grade fever, and treatment usually involves antibiotics or over-the-counter medications
Respiratory Illnesses RSV Walking Pneumonia COVID-19 Flu
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