•9:42 PM
My 2 year old nephew came home from daycare last week with a high fever. The pediatrician said she thought he had RSV.
RSV stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus. It’s the leading cause of respiratory infections in children. Almost all children have had it at least once before they’re 2 years old. It’s not an infection limited to children, adults can also be infected. In fact you’ve probably had RSV several times throughout your lifetime. In most cases it presents itself as a bad cold. It’s more severe in premature infants, children under 6 months or who have another health condition that that affects their heart, respiratory or immune system.
RSV is highly contagious and can be passed when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also live on cold surfaces such as table and counter tops and doorknobs as well as hands and clothing. If an infected person or someone who handles an infected person touches a cold surface and someone else touches it, they can be infected. One of the best defenses against this or any other disease is good hand washing.
Symptoms
Symptoms of RSV can range from those of a common cold to a runny nose, wheezing and coughing, irritability and restlessness, low grade fever around 102 or higher, nasal flaring and retractions (a pulling in of the chest when breathing).
When I worked in pediatrics and a baby came with breathing difficulties during RSV season they usually tested positive. One of the things I remember most is the cough. It sounds like a choking cough and they have a lot of mucus in the back of their throat. In young infants it wasn’t unusual to have them sleeping in an infant seat or car seat. If the child is not old enough to blow their own nose a bulb syringe or nasal aspirator may be needed to clear excess mucus.
RSV is usually seasonal, about 4-5 months from November thru April.
They can test for RSV by doing a nasal culture. It use to take several days to get the results of the culture back but they’ve made advances and there are some tests available that can give the results in a few hours. There are also vaccines available for infants with high risk factors. These are given during the peak season for RSV infections.
Treatment
In mild cases there is no treatment except non aspirin fever reducers such as acetaminophen. In more severe cases hospitalization may be required and some may require oxygen. If hospitalization is required the child will most likely be placed in contact isolation with hospital personnel wearing gowns and gloves.
RSV stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus. It’s the leading cause of respiratory infections in children. Almost all children have had it at least once before they’re 2 years old. It’s not an infection limited to children, adults can also be infected. In fact you’ve probably had RSV several times throughout your lifetime. In most cases it presents itself as a bad cold. It’s more severe in premature infants, children under 6 months or who have another health condition that that affects their heart, respiratory or immune system.
RSV is highly contagious and can be passed when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also live on cold surfaces such as table and counter tops and doorknobs as well as hands and clothing. If an infected person or someone who handles an infected person touches a cold surface and someone else touches it, they can be infected. One of the best defenses against this or any other disease is good hand washing.
Symptoms
Symptoms of RSV can range from those of a common cold to a runny nose, wheezing and coughing, irritability and restlessness, low grade fever around 102 or higher, nasal flaring and retractions (a pulling in of the chest when breathing).
When I worked in pediatrics and a baby came with breathing difficulties during RSV season they usually tested positive. One of the things I remember most is the cough. It sounds like a choking cough and they have a lot of mucus in the back of their throat. In young infants it wasn’t unusual to have them sleeping in an infant seat or car seat. If the child is not old enough to blow their own nose a bulb syringe or nasal aspirator may be needed to clear excess mucus.
RSV is usually seasonal, about 4-5 months from November thru April.
They can test for RSV by doing a nasal culture. It use to take several days to get the results of the culture back but they’ve made advances and there are some tests available that can give the results in a few hours. There are also vaccines available for infants with high risk factors. These are given during the peak season for RSV infections.
Treatment
In mild cases there is no treatment except non aspirin fever reducers such as acetaminophen. In more severe cases hospitalization may be required and some may require oxygen. If hospitalization is required the child will most likely be placed in contact isolation with hospital personnel wearing gowns and gloves.
rsv
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