Wisconsin sees spike in RSV cases

MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) - The number of cases of RSV in Wisconsin has spiked. It’s so bad that hospitals are delaying some surgeries and appointments. But there may be good news on the horizon.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, there were more than 2,000 cases of RSV last week. That number jumped almost 60% from the week before, the week ending October 22, when hospitals in the state saw just under 1,300 cases.

Children’s Wisconsin was forced to cancel some wellness visits in order to increase its capacity to care for all the RSV patients.

Meanwhile, hospitals across the nation are seeing what’s being called a “triple pandemic,” with RSV, flu and coronavirus all hitting children at the same. Fortunately that’s not happening here yet.

One doctor at Children’s says the spike in RSV came quickly and says we could already be near a plateau.

Dr. Rainer Gedeit, a pediatric critical care medical specialist, said, “It was really the beginning of October, but really the middle to end of October is when we began seeing more of a peak. And we’re hoping right now that this is our peak. The numbers have been pretty stable over the last few days of around 40 to 60, 45 to 60 patients a day, and we’re hoping that that will peak for the next few weeks and then start to decline.”

Dr. Gedeit says the best way to prevent a child from getting RSV is to keep them away from anyone who is sick, no matter how mild the illness seems.

Keeping surfaces as clean s possible can also make a big difference.

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