Shocking Truth Unveiled: RSV Poses Grave Health Danger, Yet Public Remains Clueless! – Must Read

Worldwide, RSV is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants. Although its symptoms are usually mild, the highly contagious RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, can cause serious illness, hospitalization and even death among infants and the elderly. By the age of 2, nearly all children become ill with RSV, which was one of three illnesses, along with the flu and covid-19, that contributed to last winter’s “tripledemia” that overwhelmed some health care facilities. medical. The CDC estimates that between 58,000 and 80,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalized annually because of it.

After decades of research, scientists have developed vaccines against RSV. In May, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two RSV vaccines for older adults, and is likely to approve a maternal RSV vaccine this summer for pregnant people to pass on antibodies to their babies. fetuses to prevent RSV in infants from birth to at least six months of age.

The survey of more than 1,600 adults found that less than half of Americans (49%) would likely recommend the RSV vaccine, if approved by the FDA, to a pregnant friend or family member. In contrast, the majority of Americans (63%) would recommend an RSV vaccine to a friend or family member 65 years or older. (At the time of the survey, the FDA had already approved the vaccine for adults 60 and older, although the shots were not yet available.)

“Those who remember the stress that tripledemia caused in the nation’s hospitals last fall will understand why older people and pregnant women should discuss the appropriateness of RSV vaccination with their health care providers,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson. , director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the study.

APPC Annenberg Survey of Knowledge of Science and Public Health

The survey data comes from the 11^he Wave of a nationally representative panel of 1,601 US adults, first assembled in April 2021, conducted for the Annenberg Public Policy Center by SSRS, an independent market research firm. This wave of the Annenberg Science and Public Health Knowledge (ASAPH) survey was conducted from May 31 to June 6, 2023 and has a margin of sampling error (MOE) of ±3.3 percentage points with a confidence level of 95%.

Download the topline and the methodology.

Data from previous waves on covid-19, society’s “return to normal”, vaccination, monkeypox, seasonal flu, health misinformation and related topics can be found here.

Underestimation of RSV prevalence, but awareness of potential severity

A quarter of the public (27%) express concern about getting or a family member getting RSV, less than a third (33%) who were worried in our January survey, which was conducted during the tripledemic. The decline in concern is not surprising given that RSV circulates during the fall and winter, and there was media coverage of the surge in cases last winter that, combined with flu and covid-19 cases, filled some hospitals.

The public vastly underestimates the prevalence of this common disease. Only 22% in the current survey say they know children who have had RSV, and among these respondents, more than half say they have known only one or two children who have had it. When asked how many children contract RSV before the age of two, 2% of respondents responded “virtually all.” According to the CDC, “Almost all children will have had an RSV infection before their second birthday.”

But among people who say they know children who have had RSV, its potential seriousness is clear. Among these respondents, more than half (54%) say that the illness was somewhat or very serious. “Most children with cold-like symptoms are not tested for RSV, but when a child becomes seriously ill, they are more likely to be tested,” Jamieson said. While RSV can cause serious illness such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia, the CDC says it usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms such as runny nose, coughing, sneezing, fever, wheezing, and decreased appetite, and is often mistaken for a cold or flu.

This does not mean, however, that some do not experience serious illness. Among 100 babies younger than six months who contract RSV, 1 to 2 may require hospitalization, the CDC says. Although RSV-associated deaths are “rare” in the United States, they occur at an estimated rate of 100 to 500 per year for children under the age of five, according to the CDC. Worldwide deaths of children under 5 years of age attributable to RSV exceed 100,000 annually.

Far fewer people say they know older adults who have had RSV. Only 6% of those surveyed say they know someone 65 or older who has had RSV. Among this group of respondents, the majority (71%) say they know one or two people who have had it, and the majority (72%) say the infection was somewhat or very serious. The CDC reports that among adults 65 years and older, there are 60,000 to 160,000 RSV hospitalizations per year and 6,000 to 10,000 deaths.

Great uncertainty about RSV

Only small segments of the American public answer questions about the RSV correctly. Most people say they are not sure. The survey found that:

• Symptoms: Less than 1 in 5 people (18%) know that it is more accurate to say that RSV usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms than severe breathing difficulties (38%). And 44% say they are not sure.

• Persistence: Less than 1 in 5 people (17%) know that it is more accurate to say that RSV can survive for many hours on hard surfaces, such as tables or crib rails, than to say that RSV cannot survive for many hours on these hard surfaces (9%). Most people (75%) say they are not sure.

• recurrence: Less than 4 in 10 people (38%) know that it is more accurate to say that once a person gets RSV, they can get it again. Only 2% incorrectly believe that it is more accurate to say that they cannot get RSV again, but 60% say they are not sure.

• spreading the virus: Just over 4 in 10 people (42%) know that it is more accurate to say that it is possible to have and spread RSV before showing symptoms than to say that it is not possible (3%). But more than half of those surveyed (54%) are not sure.

• Vaccine for older adults: Only 13% knew at the time the survey was conducted that there was an FDA-approved RSV vaccine for older adults, while 18% said there was no FDA-approved vaccine. Nearly 7 in 10 people (69%) said they weren’t sure. (The FDA approved one RSV vaccine for adults 60 years and older on May 3, 2023, and the second on May 31, the beginning of the survey period. A CDC committee of experts known as ACIP is meeting today to decide whether the CDC should recommend those vaccines and, if so, for what ages).

• Vaccine for pregnant women: Only 1 in 5 people (20%) knew when the survey was conducted that there was no FDA-approved RSV vaccine for pregnant women that would benefit their newborns, while 7% thought there was one. Almost three quarters of the respondents (73%) were not sure. “However,” Jamieson noted, “since an FDA advisory panel had recommended approval at that time, we would expect a high level of uncertainty as to whether or not an FDA-approved vaccine existed.”

• Vaccine for infants and children: Approximately 1 in 5 people (19%) know that there is currently no FDA-approved RSV vaccine for infants and children in the United States, while 11% incorrectly say one exists and 70% are not sure.

Less than half recognize the symptoms of RSV

Less than half of the respondents recognized some of the most common RSV symptoms (respondents were asked to select all that apply):

• wheezing: 46% know that this is a symptom
• runny nose: 38% know that this is a symptom
• pauses in breathing: 33% know this is a symptom
• decreased activity: 32% know that this is a symptom
• Decreased appetite: 29% know that this is a symptom

Very few people incorrectly selected the non-respiratory symptoms associated with RSV:

• jaundiced skin: 5% incorrectly say this is a symptom of RSV
• spontaneous bruising: 2% incorrectly say this is a symptom of RSV
• bleeding gums: 2% incorrectly say this is a symptom of RSV

The Annenberg Public Policy Center was established in 1993 to educate the public and policymakers about the role of communication in advancing public understanding of political, scientific, and health issues at the federal, state, and local levels. Read more about our science and health surveys here.