Dr Sachin Kumar, Senior Consultant, Pulmonology and Critical Care Medicine, Sakra World Hospital, said, ‘Pneumonia is common among children under 5, often following diarrheal diseases. The recent uptick in infant cases may result from various factors, including the absence of mandatory pneumococcal vaccination. Climate variations, pollution, and reduced adherence to covid-19 guidelines contribute to the increased incidence.
Also, though seasonal trends of viruses have been present similar to last year, the numbers have been lower compared to last year. It is likely that children are developing natural immunity due to cross-exposure. Hence, experts anticipate that this scare may not affect the children in the Indian setup unless there is a new ‘covert’ spread of the virus occurring across the world.
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While the most vulnerable to severe RSV infections are premature newborns, infants under 12 months (especially those under 6 months), and children under 2 years old with chronic lung disease or congenital heart conditions, he added. Many health experts said that the virus can survive on surfaces for a period and spread through indirect transmission.