Dayton Children's has already begun treating RSV patients this year - the second most common reason patients are treated at the medical center.
With flu season just around the corner, many parents may overlook the possibility of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) as a possible infection in their children. The Children's Medical Center of Dayton has already begun seeing and treating patients with RSV this year.
"RSV infects the lungs of children, so major symptoms are rapid breathing or wheezing," says Sherman Alter, MD, director of infectious disease at Dayton Children's. "RSV also is more serious in children with risk factors."
How common is RSV? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants and children younger than one year of age. Illness begins most frequently with fever, runny nose, cough and sometimes wheezing. During their first RSV infection, between 25 percent and 40 percent of infants and young children have signs or symptoms of bronchiolitis or pneumonia, and 0.5 percent to 2 percent require hospitalization.
Almost all children get RSV at least once as an infant. If a child has had RSV once, they can still catch it again, but the symptoms probably will be milder than before. According to Dr. Alter, adults can catch RSV, but the symptoms lessen to resemble a common cold.
Most children recover from illness in 8 to 15 days. The majority of children hospitalized for RSV infection are younger than 6 months of age.
RSV also causes repeated infections throughout life, usually associated with moderate-to-severe cold-like symptoms; however, severe lower respiratory tract disease may occur at any age, especially among the elderly or among those with compromised cardiac, pulmonary or immune systems.
RSV frequently begins with a fever, runny nose, cough and wheezing. Many times it worsens to symptoms of heavy coughing, rapid breathing and wheezing. RSV is the second most common reason children are treated at Dayton Children's.
RSV is contagious, and it can be spread by contact with anyone who has RSV. RSV is spread from respiratory secretions through close contact with infected persons or contact with contaminated surfaces or objects.
RSV infections usually occur during annual community outbreaks, often lasting four to six months, during the late fall, winter or early spring months. The timing and severity of outbreaks in a community vary from year to year.
RSV can be a serious infection in children, especially children with risk factors. Parents should take these children to a hospital for treatment if they have symptoms of RSV. Children who are at a higher risk include:
* Children who were born prematurely
* Children with congenital heart disease
* Babies with lung disease
* Children with abnormalities of the immune system
To prevent RSV, Dr. Alter and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend the following tips:
* Wash hands thoroughly.
* Keep your baby away from anyone who has a cold, fever or runny nose.
* Keep your baby away from crowded areas like shopping malls.
* Keep your baby away from tobacco smoke. Parents should not expose their infants and young children to secondhand tobacco smoke, which increases the risk of complications from severe viral respiratory infections.
For high-risk infants, participation in child care should be restricted during RSV season whenever possible.
All high-risk infants and their contacts should be immunized against influenza beginning at six months of age.
As of now, there is no vaccine for RSV. Because RSV is more dangerous in children with risk factors, they can receive injections of an antibody against the virus every month to prevent catching RSV.
Symptoms may last for up to two weeks after discharge from the hospital or initial treatment. There are several things you can do to help your child be more comfortable:
* Use normal saline nose drops to loosen nasal secretions and a bulb syringe to help remove secretions from nose.
* If the air at home is dry, a mist humidifier or cool mist vaporizer may be used to help your child breathe easier.
* If your child has a fever you may use an acetaminophen product as directed by your doctor. Some products you may use are (Liquiprim®, Panadol®, Tempra®, and Tylenol®). DO NOT give aspirin or aspirin-containing products.
* Encourage plenty of fluids. Do not worry if your child does not want to eat. Your child's appetite should return as he or she gets better.
You should call your doctor whenever you are worried about your child. Be sure to call if your child seems to be getting worse in any way; the congestion keeps your child from being able to sleep or drink; your child has difficult or rapid breathing; or your child has a fever of 101°F or higher.
According to Dr. Alter, RSV and the flu are different viruses. RSV generally is a more serious problem for a child younger than 2, and it has a longer season-lasting from November to early April. The flu can be more serious for children of all ages, and its season lasts from January to February. There also is a vaccine to help prevent children from catching the flu. All children aged 6 to 59 months should be vaccinated against the flu.
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