Blog

January 15, 2014

RSV

 

ot on Santa's list this year: RSV

Dr. Barry

Inevitably, the fun and excitement of the holiday season also brings with it the dread of cold and flu season. Unfortunately, this year is no exception as we've started to see lots of flu and RSV over the past month.

RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is a common upper respiratory virus that causes bronchiolitis, or inflammation of the tiniest airways in the lungs (bronchioles). In older children and adults, it's usually just a bad cold; however, in infants and younger children, it can be more severe due to the smaller size of their airways. As a result, it can cause a bad cough, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.

RSV is spread like other viruses - through contact with an infected person's mucus or saliva. It usually starts with mild symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, and a fever; however, as symptoms progress, the cough worsens. Symptoms usually peak around day 3-4, so it's important to know that symptoms can get worse before they get better.

Unfortunately, there are no medications that are used to treat RSV (antibiotics don't treat it because it's a viral illness). There are several things you can do at home, however, to help ease the symptoms and make your child more comfortable:

• Use saline drops in the nose to thin mucus
• Bulb suction to clear mucus from the nose after applying saline drops (or get a NoseFrida - I can attest that I was skeptical about this product at first, but it works wonders and isn't as gross as it sounds!)
• Use a cool mist humidifier next to the bed
• Elevate the head of the bed to sleep
• Acetaminophen (Tylenol) for fever

RSV can cause difficulty breathing and other concerning symptoms, and we ALWAYS want to see your child if you see any of the following signs or symptoms:

• Flaring nostrils, grunting while breathing and/or using all the muscles between the ribs to breathe
• High pitched whistling sound (called wheezing) heard with breathing
• Difficulty taking fluids or decreased wet diapers
• Bluish discoloration around the lips
• Fever in a child less than 2 months old

The best way to protect your baby from RSV is to avoid close contact with children or adults who have colds. Consider avoiding large, crowded places with young infants. Most importantly, though, is WASH your hands as much as possible! 

Here's to a happy and healthy holiday and new year!