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Is immunity debt or immunity theft to blame for children's respiratory virus spike?

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This is a medical illustration of drug-resistant, Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, presented in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publication entitled, Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2019 (AR Threats Report).
Meredith Newlove
/
CDC
This is a medical illustration of drug-resistant, Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, presented in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publication entitled, Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States (AR Threats Report).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned of a rise in severe Strep Group A infections among children. This is in the midst of an active respiratory virus season that has put pediatric hospitals under intense pressure.

Kids seem to be catching everything and getting sicker as the pandemic enters its third winter, leaving physicians and researchers to figure out what's going on.

Host Bonnie Petrie speaks with Dr. Tess Barton, associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at UT Health, about the theory of immunity debt and whether it holds up.

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