By Karen L. Kier, Pharmacist, ONU Healthwise Pharmacy 

The term “going viral” describes content spreading quickly and broadly across social media. In 2016, Pinkfong, a South Korean entertainment company released a version of a youth song called Baby Shark with an accompanying YouTube dance video. The video has gone viral with 7.04 billion views as of November 2020, 10 billion by January 2022, and an amazing 15.34 billion by November 2024.  

As quickly as these videos go viral, so have viral infections in Ohio. Ohio is one of many states experiencing a quad-demic of infections.  These 4 viral infections are COVID-19, influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and the newcomer known as norovirus.  COVID-19, flu, and RSV are all respiratory viruses, but norovirus is a gastrointestinal or gut virus. 

Although health departments are not required to report outbreaks of the norovirus, many states are recording numbers. Ohio has high numbers similar to Florida, California, West Virginia, Michigan and Wisconsin. 

Norovirus is a nasty stomach bug.  The symptoms include severe vomiting, diarrhea and fever.  The virus is known to cause 900 deaths per year with over 109,000 hospitalizations.  It is estimated between 19-21 million individuals are infected each year. The virus can spread by contaminated food, water and surfaces.

The virus was first discovered in 1968 when a stomach bug outbreak occurred in an elementary school in Norwalk, Ohio, although similar reports of outbreaks were recorded as early as the 1920s. The norovirus, named for the town, belongs to the Caliciviridae family and is highly transmissible, spreading rapidly. 

Norovirus is the only one of these four viruses that does not have a vaccine available in the United States. Moderna, the company who developed mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, is investigating a new vaccine for norovirus.  

Moderna started human clinical trials of the investigational norovirus vaccine in September.  They are enrolling participants to achieve at least 25,000 people in the study with half getting the active vaccine and the other half getting a placebo.  The trial results may take 1-2 years before results can be given to the FDA.  

Moderna did receive FDA approval for the first mRNA RSV vaccine known by the brand name of mRESVIA. This vaccine was approved in May of 2024 and joins the two other RSV vaccines (not mRNA) already on the market.

On May 3, 2023, the FDA approved the GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) RSV vaccine with the brand name of AREXY.  The vaccine was approved for those 60 years of age and up to prevent RSV.  The GSK vaccine is a recombinant subunit of prefusion RSV F glycoprotein antigen (RSVPreF3) with an adjuvant to enhance vaccine response.  

On May 31, 2023, the FDA approved Pfizer’s bivalent RSV prefusion F (RSVperF) vaccine composed of 2preF proteins against RSV A and RSV B.  The brand name of the vaccine is ABRYSVO and is approved for those 60 years and older. 

In addition, ABRYSVO is approved to administer in pregnancy between 32 to 36 weeks.  The RSV vaccine given during pregnancy allows for the mother to transfer RSV antibodies to the baby to prevent them from getting serious infections after birth. RSV infections are often more severe in babies less than 6 months of age and adults over the age of 65 years.  

Vaccines for the flu and COVID-19 are still available. The flu vaccines cover both the A and B subtypes and the COVID-19 vaccine covers the omicron subtypes circulating in the United States.  

It is possible to get more than one viral illness at a time, which can be quite miserable.  

Talk to your pharmacist about how to prevent going viral!

For more information, contact ONU HealthWise Pharmacy at 419-722-3784.