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Please Help MCHB Promote Public Health Messaging |
Dear MCHB Grantee:
With winter still more than a month away, we are already experiencing a surge in pediatric respiratory infections. These infections, along with ongoing staffing shortages and emergency department and inpatient stays for behavioral health concerns, are straining the capacity of health care systems across the country. Please join us in promoting public health messaging to caregivers and the public.
This surge in respiratory illnesses is currently being driven by high numbers of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections not usually seen until winter. Hospitals are also seeing early increases in seasonal flu activity, with flu cases expected to rise significantly over the upcoming weeks. In addition, children are still presenting to emergency departments and being admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 infections.
With the existing burden of RSV cases, and with cases of influenza and COVID-19 expected to rise over the winter months, the strain on capacity of emergency departments, hospitals, and pediatric intensive care units (ICUs) across the country will likely continue. CDC data suggest that each year in the United States, RSV leads to approximately 2.1 million outpatient (non-hospitalization) visits and as many as 80,000 hospitalizations among children younger than 5 years old. In addition, between 7,000 and 28,000 children younger than 5 years old are hospitalized for flu annually. Infants and younger children, as well as children with developmental disabilities or chronic medical conditions, are at higher risk for severe infection from respiratory viruses.
Promote Public Health Messaging for Caregivers & the Public
MCHB grantees can help reduce cases of respiratory illnesses among children this fall and winter by sharing important public health messages with caregivers and the public. Please help us remind parents, children, adolescents, and families of the steps they can take to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses.
An important step that parents and caregivers can take is to get vaccinated against flu and COVID-19 to help keep kids—especially those under 6 months, who can’t yet receive flu or COVID-19 vaccines—safe.
In addition to staying up to date on their flu and COVID-19 vaccines and protecting high-risk infants, people can prevent the spread of respiratory viruses by taking the following everyday actions:
- Avoid close contact (such as kissing, shaking hands, and sharing cups and eating utensils) with people who are sick
- Stay home when sick
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your upper shirt sleeve (not your hands)
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Clean frequently-touched surfaces such as doorknobs and mobile devices
Vaccinating against flu and COVID-19 is a primary strategy for preventing illness and reducing severity of illness; this not only protects individuals from potentially serious respiratory disease, but also helps to prevent additional strain on the health care system.
MCHB requests that our grantees help promote flu and COVID-19 vaccines consistent with the following CDC recommendations:
- Annual flu vaccination is recommended for all people 6 months and older who do not have contraindications (which are rare)
- People ages 6 months and older are recommended to receive a primary series of any age-appropriate FDA-approved or FDA-authorized monovalent COVID-19 vaccine
- People ages 5 years and older are recommended to receive 1 bivalent mRNA booster dose after completion of any FDA-approved or FDA-authorized monovalent primary series or previously received monovalent booster dose(s)
Children younger than six months of age are not eligible for flu or COVID-19 vaccines. As noted above, an important strategy for keeping these youngest infants safe is to make sure that everyone around them—parents, siblings, other relatives and caregivers—are vaccinated against flu and COVID-19.
While there is no vaccine to prevent RSV, some infants and children who are at the highest risk for serious illness from RSV may be eligible for monoclonal antibody (palivizumab). Palivizumab has been shown to reduce hospitalization and intensive care unit admission for RSV. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) “supports the use of palivizumab in eligible infants in any region experiencing rates of RSV activity at any time in 2022 similar to a typical fall-winter season.” MCHB encourages state and local programs for children and youth with special health care needs to assist in identifying infants and young children who are eligible for palivizumab and work with health care providers and payers to assure that eligible infants and children receive palivizumab in accordance with the latest AAP clinical guidance.
MCHB thanks you in advance for helping to promote vaccinations and spread the word about ways that we can keep children and families safe and healthy. If you have questions or need additional guidance, please reach out to your project officer or regional maternal and child health consultant. Thank you for your efforts every day to improve the health of America’s mothers, children, and families.
Sincerely,
Michael D. Warren, MD, MPH, FAAP
Associate Administrator, Maternal and Child Health Bureau
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