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As a board member of the Los Angeles Unified School District and a mother, it’s my priority and responsibility to advocate for the safety and health of all children in our schools.
During the onset of the pandemic, I saw firsthand how crucial it was that immunizations were distributed and accessible to all eligible people, including students, teachers and staff. These immunizations helped protect against the devastating and oftentimes deadly effects of the coronavirus and allowed our kids to return to in-person instruction where they could interact with other students.
While we continue to live with Covid, there are still other viruses that affect children that can lead to grave illnesses that spread widely without proper immunization. That is the case for the respiratory syncytial virus, more commonly known as RSV.
RSV is a highly contagious respiratory illness that predominantly affects infants and young children and is the leading cause of hospitalization for infants under the age of 1 in the U.S., totaling up to 80,000 hospitalizations per year.
RSV can result in serious lung infections, including bronchiolitis and pneumonia, which can cause serious complications in infants. Two out of every 3 babies contract RSV before their first birthday and, while it is most common during the winter virus season, RSV season can vary.
Last year, the country experienced a significant and unprecedented uptick in RSV cases. LAUSD likewise saw a rise in student medical absences during the fall of the school year that corresponded with countywide increases and peaks in flu, RSV and Covid-19.
That’s why it is imperative that our national leaders take immediate action to safeguard all infants and children against RSV. The good news is that new immunizations have been developed that could effectively combat the spread of this respiratory illness. While an RSV immunization has already been approved in Europe, it is high time that it becomes available to children in America.
Currently, the federal Food and Drug Administration is conducting a review of immunizations designed to prevent RSV. I ask that the FDA quickly approve so that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can act swiftly to get immunizations to the public. The review process for these immunizations must be expedited so that every child can be protected before the next RSV season starts.
Los Angeles Unified has about 14,500 students in early education, who are the most at-risk in our student population. With the district already facing many issues like learning loss due to the pandemic, chronic absenteeism and worsening student mental health, facing a potentially more aggressive RSV season coupled with a lack of proven immunization treatments would be devastating.
I know firsthand how scary the possibility of RSV can be. In February, I took my 4-month-old daughter to the emergency room on the advice of our on-call pediatrician. Instead of feeling reassured, we were faced with dozens of coughing patients in the waiting room, causing us to worry that if we didn’t walk in with a respiratory illness we might walk out with one. We also faced one respiratory virus test whose results we wouldn’t get until the next day and hours of waiting to see a doctor only to be told that even if my daughter did have RSV, there was actually nothing we could do.
But in the next few months, there is something we can do.
The safety of our children should not be compromised, especially when we are so close to a more permanent solution and protection for all infants. The Biden administration should move rapidly to license and recommend these immunizations that will greatly benefit children and their families across the country. In addition to accelerating this process, immunizations should be made available to all families through the free Vaccines for Children program and coverage through the Affordable Care Act.
Our children cannot afford to spend another RSV season without these necessary protections. I will continue to advocate for the review of these products that will benefit children nationwide. I encourage other school board members, leaders and parents to do the same so that we can protect infants and young children throughout the country. We prioritized the development and distribution of proven immunizations for Covid-19, saving lives and curbing the spread of a devastating virus that drastically and permanently altered our lives. It’s time we do the same for RSV and our nation’s children.
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Tanya Ortiz Franklin is the board member representing Los Angeles Unified School Board District 7, where she was previously a student, teacher, teacher-educator and advocate.
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Rick M. 1 year ago1 year ago
I applaud Board Member Ortiz for making such a reasonable suggestion in the context of our country's current anti-vax climate. I have just one quibble. Her position seems to have prompted by a visit to a hospital emergency waiting room where other children were coughing, and her child's possible exposure to RSV was apparent. All too often, it takes a personal experience from someone in authority to recognize and act on a … Read More
I applaud Board Member Ortiz for making such a reasonable suggestion in the context of our country’s current anti-vax climate. I have just one quibble. Her position seems to have prompted by a visit to a hospital emergency waiting room where other children were coughing, and her child’s possible exposure to RSV was apparent. All too often, it takes a personal experience from someone in authority to recognize and act on a pressing need. It would be much better if we just kept up with the news and *imagined* what it would be like if something like that happened to us.