Pulmonologist talks about RSV: Signs, who is maximum in danger, effectiveness of vaccine
Up to date: 5:10 PM EDT Sep 12, 2024
WGAL NEWS EIGHT. COVID, FLU AND RSV WILL ALL SOON BE CIRCULATING, UPDATED COVID VACCINES ARE AVAILABLE ALONG WITH FLU AND RSV. VACCINES SHOULD EVERYONE GET THE RSV VACCINE? I’M JOINED NOW BY DOCTOR KAI POMO FROM UPMC, A PULMONOLOGIST. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. WHAT IS RSV? RSV IS A COMMON RESPIRATORY VIRUS, OKAY? IT CAUSES COLD LIKE SYMPTOMS, LIKE DEPENDING ON LOCATION IN THE AIRWAY, IF IT INVOLVES THE UPPER AIRWAY, IT CAN CAUSE THE NASAL CONGESTION. THE PATIENT MIGHT SNEEZE. IT CAN CAUSE SORE THROAT IF THE LOWER AIRWAY IS INVOLVED, IT CAN AFFECT THE LUNGS. SO HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE RSV OR JUST A REGULAR OLD COLD? IT’S VERY DIFFICULT BECAUSE THE SYMPTOMS ARE NONSPECIFIC. SOMEBODY WITH REGULAR COLD CAN HAVE THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS AS RSV. SO IT’S NOT THE SYMPTOMS ARE NONSPECIFIC. SO YOU MAY NOT KNOW YOU MAY NOT KNOW UNFORTUNATELY SAID HIGH RISK FOR IT. HIGH RISK GROUP ARE OLDER ADULTS FROM 75 YEARS AND ABOVE PEOPLE OR ADULTS FROM 60 TO 74 YEARS OLD WITH OR WITH RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS LIKE PEOPLE WITH DIABETES, PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASES, PEOPLE WITH NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMS. THEY ARE THE HIGH RISK GROUP, EVEN INFANTS ARE HIGH RISK GROUP TOO. SO SORT OF THE SAME GROUPS, THOSE WOULD BE AT HIGH RISK FOR FLU OR EVEN COVID. I AGREE WITH YOU. YOU ARE RIGHT. SO THE VACCINE, WHICH IS RELATIVELY NEW, HAS BEEN INTRODUCED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. WHO IS THAT FOR? THE VACCINES ARE FOR THE HIGH RISK GROUP. LIKE I’VE MENTIONED, THE OLDER ADULTS FROM 75 YEARS AND ABOVE, ADULTS FROM 60 YEARS TO 74 YEARS OLD WITH COMORBID DISEASES. AND SOME OF THE DISEASES ARE DIABETES, CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE, ASTHMA, COPD OR CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE. AND CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE. THEY ARE THE HIGH RISK GROUP. HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE VACCINE? IT’S VERY EFFECTIVE. SO FAR. YOU NEED ONLY ONE VACCINE, BUT STUDIES ARE ONGOING TO DECIDE WHETHER SOMEBODY NEEDS A BOOSTER DOSE DOWN THE ROAD. BUT NOW YOU ONLY NEED ONE VACCINE. THE VACCINE HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE PROGRESSION TO VERY SEVERE DISEASE IN 70% OF THE CASES. SO IT’S A VERY GOOD VACCINE FOR SOMEONE TO GET. THAT’S GOOD ODDS. YEAH. VERY GOOD. CAN YOU GET THIS VACCINE ALONG WITH THE OTHER VACCINES? YOUR FLU VACCINE AND THE COVID VACCINE? THAT’S THE RECOMMENDATION. YOU CAN GET YOUR FLU SHOT. JUST SPEAK WITH YOUR PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR ABOUT IT. YOU CAN GO AND GET YOUR FLU, GET YOUR RSV, GET YOUR COVID 19 VACCINE. SO DISCUSSION YOU NEED TO HAVE WITH YOUR PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR. THE RECOMMENDATION BOOSTER BECAUSE OF OF VIRUSES GOING ON DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. HOW AND YOU SAID IT’S VERY EFFECTIVE. ANY SIDE EFFECTS TO TAKING THE VACCINE. THE SIDE EFFECT IS JERE GISH SIDE EFFECTS LIKE PAIN AROUND THE VACCINE SIDE MUSCLE PAIN. SOME PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE COLD LIKE SYMPTOMS, BUT IT GOES AWAY WITH TIME. THEY ARE NOT. THEY ARE NOT SERIOUS, SO IT’S WORTH IT. IT’S WORTH IT. OKAY, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IN TERMS OF THE SEASON THIS YEAR FOR RSV AND THE OTHER VIRUSES? NOW WE HAVE THREE VIRUSES. WE WORRY ABOUT. YOU HAVE COVID, YOU HAVE FLU, YOU HAVE RSV. SO CASES GO UP, ESPECIALLY IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY. SO WE EXPECT CASES TO GO UP. SO MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO JUST GET YOUR SHOTS AND GET READY FOR THE WINTER MONTHS. AT WHAT POINT IF YOU DO SUSPECT YOU MAY HAVE RSV AND IT’S GETTING BAD, AT WHAT POINT SHOULD YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR OR GO TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT? YOU, WHEN YOU HAVE PERSISTENT SYMPTOMS LIKE I’VE MENTIONED, RSV CAUSES SELF-LIMITING SYMPTOMS. SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS GOES AWAY WITH TIME, BUT WHEN THE SYMPTOMS PERSIST OR YOU START HAVING SYMPTOMS OF THE LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT LIKE YOU START, YOU HAVE OR YOU HAVE SHORTNESS OF BREATH, YOU YOU COUGH A LOT, THEN THAT’S THE TIME TO SEE YOUR PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR. AND ALSO PEOPLE THAT ARE IMMUNOCOMPROMISED, OKAY. BECAUSE THEY ARE INCREASED RISK FOR PROGRESSION TO VERY SEVERE DISEASE. THEY ARE THE PEOPLE THAT NEEDS TO BE VACCINATED. YOU SAID SEVERE DISEASE, SEVERE DISEASE CAN SOMETIMES BE DEADLY. IT CAN IT CAN BE DEADLY BECAUSE WITH PROGRESSION IT CAN GO TO RESPIRATORY FAILURE. AND SOMEBODY MIGHT END UP ON A VENTILATOR. SO THAT’S WHY PEOPLE THAT ARE HIGH RISK, THEY NEED TO GET VACCINATED. AND IF THEY HAVE PERSISTENT SYMPTOMS, THEY NEED TO SEE A PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO PEOPLE WHO SAY, THIS IS A LOT OF VACCINES, GETTING ALL OF THESE SHOTS? I DON’T KNOW THAT I WANT TO DO THAT AS A PULMONOLOGIST. I’VE SEEN SO MANY CASES. I’VE SEEN PEOPLE ON VENTILATORS. THOSE VACCINES, THEY PREVENT PEOPLE FROM PROGRESSING TO VERY SEVERE DISEASE. I RECOMMEND YOU SHOULD GET YOUR VACCINES AND IS THIS THE TIME TO GET IT NOW? THE PERIOD TO GET IT IS LATE SUMMER, WHICH IS THE TIME NOW. AND EARLY AND LATE SUMMER AND EARLY WINTER. SO THIS IS THE TIME TO GET YOUR SHOTS. ALL RIGHT. SPEAK WITH YOUR PRIMARY CARE ABOUT IT. GO AND GET VACCINATED. IT PROTECTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Pulmonologist talks about RSV: Signs, who is maximum in danger, effectiveness of vaccine
Up to date: 5:10 PM EDT Sep 12, 2024
Breathing syncytial virus, or RSV, is a not unusual respiration virus that infects the nostril, throat and lungs. A UPMC pulmonologist talks concerning the signs, explains who’s maximum in danger for a critical an infection, and tells us how efficient the vaccine is. Watch the interview within the video participant above.
Breathing syncytial virus, or RSV, is a not unusual respiration virus that infects the nostril, throat and lungs.
A UPMC pulmonologist talks concerning the signs, explains who’s maximum in danger for a critical an infection, and tells us how efficient the vaccine is. Watch the interview within the video participant above.
