American Academy of Pediatrics urges Biden administration to declare emergency over 'unprecedented' RSV surge

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association are calling on the Biden administration to declare an emergency to a support a national response to an "alarming surge of pediatric respiratory illnesses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza." 

The organizations say they sent a letter this week to Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra as "[s]ignificant capacity issues in pediatric hospitals and communities require flexibilities that can only be provided through a formal emergency declaration by the President and the HHS Secretary." 

"President Biden and Secretary Becerra have been invaluable leaders to children’s hospitals across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we implore them to renew their commitment to pediatric health care and give us the resources necessary to control the ongoing RSV and flu surge with the continuing children’s mental health emergency," CHA CEO Mark Wietecha said in a statement. "Our system is stretched to its limit and without immediate attention the crisis will only worsen."