There is a seasonal uptick in Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) across Canada, but Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD) said while there is no cause for alarm, people should certainly be aware that RSV is out there.
There are easy ways for people to protect themselves, said PHSD.
Carly Zubalich, a registered nurse and health protection specialist at the health unit, said the higher incidence of RSV is happening at the same time as other common respiratory ailments such as the common cold and influenza.
"So we've kind of entered into the season for colds and flu. And what we know with RSV is that it also kind of follows the same pattern. So seeing increased RSV activity is normal, but across Canada right now, what we're seeing is higher than expected RSV activity," Zubalich said.
"Usually with RSV, what we're seeing with most people is mild symptoms. So that would be fever, nasal congestion, runny nose or cough, really those cold-like symptoms,” she said.
While people typically get better on their own, those who are at higher risk, like older adults and young children, could develop more serious symptoms, Zubalich added.
Zubalich said RSV is known to be more severe among young children.
"I think an important thing with RSV, though, is that once you get infected, repeat infections are common," she said. "After that infection, you have a level of immunity built up from it, but for people who are young (and) who've never been exposed to it, they wouldn't have the same level of immunity."
Zubalich said older adults with other medical conditions or weakened immune systems would also be at risk for more severe outcomes.
She explained that in Ontario, RSV is not regarded as a "reportable disease," which means that hospitals and physicians are under no obligation to report cases to public health as they would with cases of flu or COVID-19.
Zubalich said during the pandemic, more people were taking precautions to prevent infection, such as masking, physical distancing and hand sanitizing. Those precautions were highly effective as cases of respiratory illnesses dropped.
But now, since many people have stopped taking the same precautions they did during the pandemic, the incidents of respiratory illnesses have increased.
"As a result, now we're seeing a lessening of COVID-19 measures, that were really preventing those exposures. So there's a higher chance of exposure we're seeing right now, which is possibly contributing to the increase in RSV that we're experiencing," said Zubalich.
She added that awareness is important because with awareness people will understand the need to take precautions.
"I think the important thing is that people recognize right now the trends that we're seeing, so we are seeing higher than usual levels of RSV. So to be aware that that is circulating, and to really support your families and yourself and implementing precautions to stay safe."
Len Gillis covers health care and mining for Sudbury.com.
