CDC confirms 37-case multistate hepatitis A outbreak linked to frozen clams

Key Points:

• A Chilean study of 215 patients with hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) caused by Andes hantavirus found that 69% required respiratory support, with a 21% in-hospital mortality rate; mortality was highest among those receiving ECMO (33%) and mechanical ventilation (30%).
• The study highlighted increased HCPS mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly three times higher odds of death, emphasizing the need for intensive care units to be prepared for HCPS cases, especially amid outbreaks.
• Research on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in US children aged 2 to 17 years revealed that older children with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) face significant risks of severe illness and death, with 57.2% of ICU admissions involving at least one CCC.
• RSV-related ICU admissions accounted for 8.3% of pediatric ICU stays in this age group, and 93.8% of children who died had at least one CCC, indicating a strong association between medical complexity and mortality.
• The findings suggest that active immunization of older children against RSV is biologically plausible, but further studies are needed to determine vaccine safety, effectiveness, and optimal strategies tailored to age and prior exposure.