Almost every parent has heard of the RSV virus. RSV stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus. It has gotten a lot of attention because of its potential effect on infants. Deaths have been reported in infants who have contracted this illness. That is enough to scare any parent. However not many parents know that fifty percent of babies get RSV before they are a year old and almost all children will get it by the time they are two. They may recall their baby having a really bad cold. That probably was the RSV virus and they didn't even know it. It can cause pneumonia in young children. During the child's first RSV infection, twenty five percent to forty percent develop pneumonia or bronchitis. Only less than two percent will need to be hospitalized. The ones that need to be hospitalized are the babies that are younger than six months old. The babies that are at the highest risk are the ones who were born prematurely or those with health problems. The RSV virus causes an infection the respiratory system or the lungs and breathing passages. You can get infected more than once, more likely several times. After being infected the first time the body builds some immunity to it and the subsequent infections are generally milder. The RSV illness typically begins with a fever, cough and a runny nose. Some young children can develop wheeziness in day one to day three of the illness. Some may get rapid breathing and signs that breathing may be harder work than usual. This is bronchitis. This occurs because the infection causes the linings of the airways to swell. RSV can trigger asthma in children. Many children who have an RSV infection will developed ear infections and in some cases, pneumonia, which is an infection of the lungs. This is when the smallest of airways of the lungs have narrowed. They will become short of breath and have a cough. They are not as wheezy as children with bronchitis. The recovery time for an RSV illness is eight to fifteen days. RSV is extremely contagious and can affect up to fifty percent of infants during an RSV epidemic. The yearly epidemic usually occurs in the late fall into winter and early spring. It is almost never heard of in the summer. RSV is spread by the droplets released from a cough or a sneeze or even mucus from a runny nose. The actual spread happens when there is close contact with a person infected with the virus or when the droplets land on the surface and is picked up when some else touches that surface. The virus can survive several hours on a surface. Symptoms of the virus start developing four to seven day after being exposed to the virus. The virus can enter through the nose and eyes as well. So it is wise not to touch your face after being in contact with someone who is infected. Hand washing is a must. Practicing good hand washing is helpful in preventing other viral infections as well. Most of the time the RSV infection is mild and doesn't require treatment, other than tender loving care. Make your child comfortable and treat the symptoms such as a fever. Provide plenty of fluids. If your child has difficulty breathing then it would be time to consult the doctor, also if a baby is coughing so much and they can't eat then they may need to taken to hospital to be observed. |
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