WP Perspectives – October 31, 2022

They say bad things come in threes . . .

RSV cases have more than doubled in 25 states, straining hospitals, CBS reported. . .  Adults typically shake off RSV quickly,  but it’s harder on young children with smaller, developing airways:

• (As of this writing on 10/24) an estimated 58,000 children under 5 are hospitalized, and 100-500 children under 5 die of RSV annually in the US. There’s no government-approved vaccine.

Why is this year so bad? Pandemic precautions—masks, social distancing—were necessary because of COVID-19 but likely lowered resilience to other diseases. Plus, there are troubling signs that flu and COVID-19 are likely to rise sharply in the coming weeks, The New York Times reports.

Flu fears: Flu vaccination rates dipped slightly across all ages last year, per the CDC, especially among young kids.

COVID-19 concerns: US cases are still low, but climbing hospitalizations and deaths in Europe are a troubling omen.

Winter warning: Even if most COVID-19, flu and RSV cases are mild, the triple threat could overwhelm hospitals.

• Experts advise flu shots and COVID-19 boosters, as soon as possible.   Global Health News 10/24/22

Choosing Words Carefully

People who have cancer are not referred to as cancers; those with depression are not referred to as depressives, notes Lev Facher—but the vocabulary around addiction is very different, with judgment-laden words like “alcoholic” or “addict” commonplace.

• Replacing stigmatizing labels with words that recognize addiction as a disease, not a moral failing, acknowledges that the people with addictions deserve to be treated as human beings.

It’s not about political correctness: It makes a big difference in the treatment they receive.

The Quote: “Those that use the most stigmatizing language, and also have the strongest negative associations [about people with substance use disorders], are health care professionals,” says researcher Robert Ashford. “It prevents opportunities to have meaningful conversations about getting help, because nobody wants to put themselves in a situation where they’ll be further discriminated against.” STAT

Ask yourself: Who gets better medical care in the United States: “addicts,” or “people with substance use disorders”?

-October marks  National Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Month  to highlight the vital role of substance abuse prevention in both individual and community health and to remember those who have lost their lives to substance abuse.

Millions of Americans suffer from substance abuse, which includes underage drinking, alcohol dependency, non-medical use of prescription drugs, abuse of over-the-counter medications, and illicit drug use. … Prevention strategies targeting the root of the problem are essential to curb drug use and help people lead healthier lives.  Early intervention helps prevent substance abuse and reduce the negative consequences of addiction before they occur.

-VDH and the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Center on Society and Health have developed an opioid cost calculator which estimates of how much the opioid epidemic costs Virginians in multiple categories: lost labor, healthcare, crime, household costs, state costs, and federal costs. The data from the calculator paints a more complete picture of the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic in Virginia and will be useful in supporting ongoing efforts for prevention and reduction activities at the state and local levels.

Epidemiology is the science at center of public health.

RSV is surging among kids—but scientists have a plan to stop it

New antibody treatments and vaccine candidates promise long-awaited relief from the respiratory virus that’s a leading cause of childhood death worldwide.

In recent weeks, children’s hospitals across the United States have raised the alarm that their beds have filled up with young patients struggling to breathe and in dire need of oxygen. This year, the culprit is not coronavirus but respiratory syncytial virus—more commonly known as RSV.

RSV is not a new pathogen. The virus infects some 64 million people a year worldwide. But it poses a particularly high risk to adults over 65 and to children, who are more likely to require hospitalization. Globally, RSV causes about 160,000 deaths a year—including more than 100,000 children under the age of five. Still, there isn’t a vaccine for the disease or any treatments available for general use.

But solutions are on the way. Experts say that a monoclonal antibody treatment for RSV could be approved by the end of the year, and a vaccine could be rolled out in time for the 2023 RSV season.

National Geographic  10/27/22 Read the article to learn more.

According to the National Cancer Institute, certain lifestyle habits may increase your risk for developing #PancreaticCancer, including a poor diet and smoking. Learn more about the risks and treatment options available from NCI: https://www.cancer.gov/types/pancreatic

November 3 is One Health Day.