U.S. public health failures spur RSV surge: nurses

The U.S. Capitol building is seen in Washington, D.C., the United States, Nov. 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"Promoting the idea of 'immunity debt' is not only unscientific, it is harmful to the public's health," says NNU President Deborah Burger.

NEW YORK, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- The notion that rising cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the United States are due to children's lack of exposure amid masking and stay-at-home orders is "flawed conjecture that is not based on science," Becker's Hospital Review reported early this week citing the National Nurses United (NNU).

"Instead, NNU contends that the uptick in virus activity is due to a 'complete abandonment' of public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses," said the report.

The nation's largest nurses union said there is no evidence that an "immunity debt" is causing the jump in RSV cases, and cited U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showing that positivity rates for RSV were actually higher in 2021 than they are now.

"Promoting the idea of 'immunity debt' is not only unscientific, it is harmful to the public's health," NNU President Deborah Burger said in a news release.

"We know that we are not safe until everyone is safe," Burger said. "We continue to fight for the strongest protections for healthcare and other front-line workers. We need the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue a permanent COVID standard to protect nurses and other healthcare workers."