RSV: The Facts and Prevention
RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is extremely common among infants and childrens. The Mayo Clinic says most children have been infected by age 2, whether you know it or not!
A Mayo Clnic article explains:
Signs and symptoms of respiratory syncytial virus infection typically appear about four to six days after exposure to the virus. In adults and older children, RSV usually causes mild cold-like signs and symptoms. These include:
Congested or runny nose
Dry cough
Low-grade fever
Sore throat
Mild headache
A general feeling of unease and discomfort (malaise)
In severe cases
Respiratory syncytial virus can lead to a lower respiratory tract illness such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis — an inflammation of the small airway passages entering the lungs. Signs and symptoms may include:
High fever
Severe cough
Wheezing — a high-pitched noise that's usually heard on breathing out (exhaling)
Rapid breathing or difficulty breathing, which may make the child prefer to sit up rather than lie down
Bluish color of the skin due to lack of oxygen (cyanosis)
Infants are most severely affected by RSV. They may markedly draw in their chest muscles and the skin between their ribs, indicating that they're having trouble breathing, and their breathing may be short, shallow and rapid. They may cough. Or they may show few, if any, signs of a respiratory tract infection, but will eat poorly and be unusually lethargic and irritable.
Most children and adults recover from the illness in eight to 15 days. But in young babies, infants born prematurely, or infants or adults who have chronic heart or lung problems, the virus may cause a more severe — occasionally life-threatening — infection that requires hospitalization.
There is a medication used for RSV prevention, Synagis®. It is specifically used for children younger than 2 who are at high risk for serious RSV. It is not a single injection but must be repeated on a monthly basis during peak RSV season and repeated in subsequent years until the child is no longer at high risk. Those babies most at risk are those who were born prematurely, those less than 6 weeks old, those with congenital heart or chronic lung disease, and those with immune deficiencies.
If you are having a winter baby and have any high-risk history or know your baby may be premature, go ahead and talk to your OB and pediatrician about RSV. It may be difficult to secure insurance coverage for the shots, so you may need to get the ball rolling.
Have you had any experience with RSV?
