CDC Issues Health Advisory Due To A Common Respiratory Illness Spreading Across Southern States

The CDC has issued a health advisory for part of the southern states in the United States. They announced that there is a common respiratory virus that is spreading. RSV, which stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus is on the rise in the South.

“Due to this increased activity, CDC encourages broader testing for RSV among patients presenting with acute respiratory illness who test negative for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19," the CDC wrote in the health advisory.

The CDC lists the following states as those who have seen increases in RSV cases:

• Alabama

• Florida

• Georgia

• Kentucky

• Mississippi

• North Carolina

• South Carolina

• Tennessee

• Arkansas

• Louisiana

• New Mexico

• Oklahoma

• Texas

CDC’s definition of RSV:

“Respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-uhl) virus, or RSV, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs) in children younger than 1 year of age in the United States.”