Tina Tan, MD, comments on a severe respiratory season, stresses timely vaccination

Tina Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS, editor in chief of Contemporary Pediatrics; professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine; infectious diseases attending at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago; and president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, emphasized the importance of vaccination to combat the severity of this year’s respiratory virus season.

“I think this respiratory season is really starting to get much more severe because we're having flu outbreaks, we're still seeing a lot of RSV and older kids hospitalized with respiratory issues. We're seeing human metapneumovirus, some COVID-19, and adenovirus. This respiratory season really is just getting much more severe right now, which is not unexpected, given the fact that we are in the midst of winter,” Tan explained.

According to the latest data from the CDC, seasonal influenza activity remains elevated across the country and continues to rise in many areas. Additionally, COVID-19 activity remains high in several regions, while RSV activity has peaked but continues to contribute to pediatric hospitalizations.

What's more, according to the CDC, emergency department visits across ages and including adults, are "very high" and increasing across the United States, making immunization a focus point.

“The number one thing is to make sure that the children are up to date on their vaccines," Tan said. "They need to be getting the influenza vaccine, they need to be getting the COVID vaccine. If they’re in that age group—under 8 months—they should be getting the RSV vaccine if the mother has not been vaccinated."

Current CDC reports indicate that vaccination rates for influenza and COVID-19 remain low among both children and adults. Despite the availability of effective vaccines, many children remain vulnerable to severe illness, hospitalizations, and complications from these infections, according to the federal agency.

“If someone presents to your practice and they look like they have some type of walking pneumonia, you really need to test them, because you have to treat the mycoplasma and you have to treat the pertussis. People can spread it to other individuals, and then you can really get a lot of cases going on,” Tan stated.

One major challenge in pediatric vaccination is parental hesitation and the desire to delay or modify vaccine schedules.

“I know people want to defer the vaccines, they want to pick their own schedule, but that's not how vaccines work. If you give vaccines on time, you're able to protect individuals and get the maximum immune response against the disease you're vaccinating against,” Tan emphasized.

Reference:

Respiratory illnesses data channel. CDC. January 24, 2025. Accessed January 30, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data/index.html