Video summary
As winter approaches, it is crucial to focus on protecting oneself and one's family from various respiratory viruses, particularly RSV, influenza, and COVID-19. Dr. James Campbell emphasizes that while vaccines have long been sought for RSV, recent advancements have finally made immunization available. For infants and newborns entering the fall season, a new monoclonal antibody treatment offers over 90% protection against hospitalization by providing preformed antibodies that require no effort from the baby's immune system. Similarly, vaccines are now available for older adults and younger individuals with underlying medical conditions who are at higher risk of severe illness or hospitalization due to RSV infection.
For healthy individuals in middle age without specific health complications, vaccination against RSV is generally not recommended because the virus typically causes only mild cold-like symptoms in this demographic. However, these individuals will likely encounter RSV multiple times throughout their lives. In contrast, older adults receive a single shot that provides coverage for the season, similar to how flu shots work but without the need for annual administration at this time. It is important to note that while vaccines exist for respiratory viruses, there is currently no vaccine or hand sanitizer approved for the norovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea; therefore, rigorous handwashing remains the primary defense against this highly contagious pathogen that spreads easily through contact with contaminated surfaces or fecal matter.
The most effective way to prevent the spread of these viruses is understanding that transmission occurs primarily through close contact rather than airborne particles. Viruses enter the body when secretions from sneezing or coughing land on hands and are subsequently transferred to the eyes, nose, or mouth via touching. Practical precautions include avoiding close interactions such as sharing snacks or shaking hands with infected individuals, much like how two soccer goalies playing at opposite ends of a field would not infect each other unless they interact closely. Handwashing with soap and water or using alcohol-based sanitizers is identified as the single most important step in breaking the chain of transmission for all these illnesses.
Given the current confusion surrounding conflicting recommendations from different groups, Dr. Campbell advises families to rely on their primary care providers rather than making decisions based on social media or pressure from pharmacies. Healthcare professionals possess the most up-to-date information and are dedicated to providing unbiased, factual guidance tailored to individual family needs. Parents should consult their pediatricians or internists to determine which vaccines are necessary for their children, understand the benefits and potential side effects, and navigate the complexities of public health recommendations without feeling overwhelmed by conflicting messages.
Read the full video transcript
We begin tonight talking about your
health. Joining us is Dr. James
Campbell, pediatric infectious disease
specialist at the University of Maryland
Children's Hospital and a professor at
the University of Maryland School of
Medicine. Doctor, thank you for joining
us. Hate to break it to everybody, but
um winter's on the way and cold and and
flu season. What should we start
thinking about now?
>> Yeah, thanks Jeff. Um, this is the time
to start thinking about how you're going
to protect yourself and your family,
your children against all of the
wintertime illnesses that we see,
especially the respiratory viruses.
So, we do have a lot of options for
people to be protected against
respiratory sensitial virus, against
influenza, against COVID 19. So, making
sure that you get in touch with your
primary care provider, with your
children's doctors, with your
pediatricians to see if they're eligible
to to receive vaccines is going to be
really important. Now's the time to
start lining those things up.
>> Tell me more about RSV. I mean, I you
know, people have heard, of course, of
COVID and and the flu. um the general
public maybe think of RSV as the the new
one that's maybe less important but
especially in the pediatric setting or
uh the geriatric setting it's
significant.
>> Yeah, definitely not less important. May
not have been in the news as much in the
past but not less important. So being a
pediatrician, we're used to dealing with
res. It stands for respiratory sensitial
virus RSV every wintertime. It is the
number one cause of hospitalization in
children under the age of one in the
United States. And we've been trying to
have a way to protect people with an
immunization or a vaccine for decades.
Um and finally 3 years ago um those
discoveries came through and were
licensed. So we now have a product that
can be given to newborns or babies just
about to enter the RSV season uh meaning
the fall and the winter that is over 90%
protective against that hospitalization.
And we have vaccines now for older
people, either those as you said who are
on the other end of the age spectrum who
because of their age they're at risk. Um
or for the younger adults who have
underlying medical conditions where RSV
puts them in the hospital or makes them
very sick. So lots of really exciting
new products um and um great protection
against severe disease by using them.
Now, if somebody watching isn't on um
either of the the edges of the the age
spectrum, is it still something to think
about? And part two of that, any side
effects to be concerned about?
>> Most people in the middle, so if you're
older than a year or two old and younger
than um in your 60s or 70s, you will get
RSV multiple winters in your life. And
for many people it's almost every
winter, but it causes for most people
who don't have underlying problems, it
causes a cold. Um, and so that's why for
the people in the middle ages, if they
don't have underlying medical
conditions, it's not recommended that
they get the vaccine. It's not necessary
really. In terms of side effects for the
little babies that we're giving this
immunization to, they tolerate it quite
well. It's what we call a monoconal
antibbody which is a vac the way a
vaccine works is we give a part of a
germ to your body and then we ask your
body's immune system to make the
protective antibodies. What this
immunization is is it's preformed
protective antibodies. So it doesn't
take any uh your immune system doesn't
have to do any work and it covers babies
for the entire RSV season. They tolerate
it very well. Other than the pain of the
injection, very few side effects
associated with it.
>> Does does that mean older folks? Uh this
is like a flu shot and you you need to
get it every year.
>> Older folks, it is similar to a flu
shot. Um but it's not given to them
every year. Once they've been
vaccinated, they're covered. It may be
in the future that we'll have multiple
seasonal vaccines for RSV, but for now
for older people, they get the single
shot. Um and uh potentially in the
future we'll have multiple shots, but
for now COVID you need every year and
flu you need every year, but RSV just
once.
>> How do you think about um other ways of
reducing
risk like other than just like staying
home, never shaking hands with with
anybody, wearing a mask 247? I mean,
what what are reasonable precautions?
And and maybe think about it in the
pediatric sense.
Yeah, I think what a lot of people don't
realize is that the main way that most
of these viruses are passed personto
person is by close contact. So it's
through the secretions that come when
you sneeze or when you cough and
especially what happens on your hands.
So if those viruses get on your hands
and then your hands will touch your
eyes, your nose, etc. That's how they
get into people's bodies, not through
through the air. So, it's close contact.
So, if people understand that close
contact is the way that they will get
the viruses, then you can imagine what
the things would be to protect yourself.
So, I like to say things like if you
know your kids, if one uh child is a
soccer goalie on one end of the field
and the other one is the goalie on the
other end, if they have flu, RSV or
COVID and they stay in their goals, the
other goalie is not going to get it.
When are they going to get it? They're
going to get it when they're eating
snacks together. They're going to get it
when they shake hands at the end of the
game. Um they're going to get it if
they, you know, interact close to each
other. So think about all of those
things in your families, in your
schools, in your daycarees. That's the
way that um that these viruses are
passed. Handwashing
um is the number one way to handashing
or using, you know, alcohol-based um
hand sanitizers. Number one way to
protect ourselves.
>> There's still no hand sanitizer for the
noro virus and nor is there a shot for
that one. That that one is all about
handwashing, right?
Yeah, Noro virus causes vomiting and
diarrhea. Um and um there is a vaccine
that is under development has only so
far been tested in adults but looks very
promising but it's not there's none yet
licensed available to the general
public. Um but yes handwashing um is the
way to protect yourself against
neurovirus. that virus comes out in the
stool and in the vomit. Um, and so tiny
bits of it, it only takes a very small
amount of the virus for the next person
to get infected. And it's it's highly
contagious. Once it gets into a family,
literally everybody in the family gets
sick from it usually.
>> Give us your your overall thoughts on
the the current vaccine recommendations
maybe across the the age spectrum. It's
in the news now um you know because of
uh the federal government and now the
state government is out with its
recommendations based I think on what
the Academy of Pediatrics likes. But
what should people do?
>> Yeah. I mean my biggest worry in this in
my field in the field of public health
and pediatric vaccinology and infectious
disease is that the confusion and the
chaos that's going on is going to lead
to complacency that people will say well
one group recommends this another
recommends this if they can't decide
then how am I to decide for my family
what I recommend for everyone including
my family is talk to their provider ers
because their providers, whether that's
their pediatrician, their internist,
whoever cares for you or your children,
they're going to have the most
up-to-date information, are going to
follow the facts and are not going to be
politicized. They're only doing it to
take care of your family and their
health. So, yes, we, you know, I work
together with the American Academy of
Pediatrics. Those are pediatricians who
all help each other to make decisions on
what's right for protection against uh
all infection, you know, all illnesses
and children, but especially infections.
So, we look at the data very carefully
and then we try to help pediatricians
and families to to do what's right for
children. So, if you're a parent and you
want to know what to do for your kid,
just like you do for everything else
that's related to their health, not just
vaccines, ask your pediatric provider.
when it when it gets confusing sometimes
people just default to inaction. I mean
the the other source of information on
this is when people walk through the
grocery store or the pharmacy and
there's signs trying to get you to get
this vaccine or that vaccine and maybe
there's a reaction to that where you
know it almost seems like too much
pressure too too gimmicky. I don't know.
>> Yeah. That's why I say like your your
best source of information is your
provider. I think you know most of us
maybe all of us um our most trusted
source of medical information is the
person that we we entrust with that and
that's our our provider. So um don't be
pressured by a pharmacy. Don't be
pressured by social media one way or the
another. you know, talk to your doctor
or talk to your your children's doctor.
Um, and they'll help you to tease out is
is this a vaccine that your child needs
or they don't need? When should they get
it? How how is it best for them to get
it? You know, what are the benefits of
getting it? What are the potential side
effects when you get those vaccines? Um,
it's just too much to te to try to sort
out yourself. So, I think, you know,
turn to your providers. That's the best
way to get the information.
>> Dr. Good advice. Dr. James Campbell,
University of Maryland Children's
Hospital. We appreciate your time. Thank
you, sir.
>> Thank you.
>> Your health segments are a co-roduction
of Maryland Public Television and the
University of Maryland Medical System.