Louisiana Residents at High Risk for This Winter Illness

SHREVEPORT, LA - There is a spike in respiratory illness around the world. The latest numbers show children are being hit the hardest. Louisiana is one of the states seeing the highest numbers of cases and listed as "high risk".

I am all too familiar with respiratory illness right about now. I returned from a 10 day magical cruise to Puerto Rico from New York and had to rush to Quick Care to learn I have Pneumonia. This came on fast and completely zapped me. I could not catch my breath when walking short distances. I'm now on the mend with lots of meds, but I still have to slow down to make sure I can catch my breath.

The Centers for Disease Control is monitoring reports of increased respiratory illness around the world. Spikes in respiratory illness, including pneumonia are being mapped across the nation.

The CDC Report says:

The weekly percent of emergency department visits with diagnosed pneumonia is largely consistent with previous years for children aged 0 to 4 years, with slight increases above typical levels for children aged 5 to 17 years, but still consistent with pre-pandemic years.

These increases are likely caused by viruses and bacteria we expect to see during the respiratory illness season.

There are many ways to protect yourself from serious illness this fall and winter, including effective immunizations that protect against viral and bacterial diseases that can lead to pneumonia.

These increases in respiratory illness are being seen around the world including in China and several European countries.

Currently, the U.S. is experiencing elevated RSV activity, particularly among young children. But folks over age 65 are also falling victim to respiratory illnesses.

The CDC data shows RSV emergency department visits and hospitalizations continue to increase across the country. The numbers are elevated among young children and are now on the rise with older adults, age 60+.

The CDC says these "reported increases do not appear to be due to a new virus or other pathogen but to several viral or bacterial causes that we expect to see during the respiratory illness season."