Vaccination is recommended

The next wave of viruses in the country is now rolling in

RSV can cause severe respiratory infections that can lead to bronchiolitis or pneumonia and, in the worst case, require hospitalization with ventilation.(Bild: Olga Yastremska, New Africa, Africa Studio)

While the flu epidemic has not yet subsided, the next wave of infections is already rolling in: The RSV season has begun. The virus can be particularly dangerous for babies and the elderly. An effective vaccination is recommended for them. 

The extent to which the respiratory syncytial virus will spread cannot be predicted, the Association of Vaccine Manufacturers (ÖVIH) informed in a press release on Monday and warned of severe courses of the disease in infants and the elderly. Senior citizens and pregnant women can be vaccinated, and passive immunization has recently become available free of charge for newborns.

Already 142 people in hospital with it
The RSV network ÖRSN at MedUni Vienna has already registered positive RSV cases. The situation is similar in hospital. According to the SARI dashboard (Severe Acute Respiratory Infections), 142 people have recently had to be admitted to hospital with the cold virus, reported the ÖVIH.

It is not too late to get vaccinated or to have your offspring immunized. Almost one in five hospital admissions in children under the age of five is caused by RSV and the risk of a severe course increases again at an older age, it was explained.

Mortality higher than with influenza
"In younger, healthy people, the virus usually only causes a kind of cold with a cough and runny nose, but in older people - especially those with previous illnesses in the lungs or cardiovascular system - it can become dangerous. This is also shown by a recent study that was carried out at our hospital and has now been submitted for publication," said Stefan Winkler, Deputy Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at MedUni Vienna.

"We compared hospitalization rates and clinical courses of RSV and influenza infections. Even though there were fewer hospital admissions due to RSV than influenza, mortality was actually higher in RSV patients," emphasized Winkler.