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Ask the Doctor
| Debra in Dewitt asks... How do I know if my child has RSV? |
| Posted - 11/11/2008 |
RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is a winter virus affecting mostly infants and children. In the US, 60% of infants are infected during their first RSV season. There is no protective immunity, so children can be infected multiple times.
In mild cases, RSV causes typical cold symptoms including cough, runny nose and wheezing. In infants, especially a neonate (i.e., a baby from birth to four weeks), it can cause more severe illnesses such as bronchiolitis or pneumonia. Severity is increased in premature- born infants.
Symptoms of bronchiolitis or RSV pneumonia include nasal discharge, at times severe enough to interfere with breast or bottle-feeding. Other symptoms are fever, cough, wheezing and retracting of the chest muscles with breathing. RSV often can mimic an asthma attack.
Treatment of RSV may include nasal suctioning and saline drops, breathing treatments similar to those used for asthmatic patients, fluids, oxygen and fever control. Steroids may help wheezing in severe cases. Newborns and infants having difficulty with feeding may require hospitalization.
There is no vaccine for RSV, but a monoclonal antibody drug called Synagis® is now available for high-risk infants. It is given by monthly injections throughout the RSV season (typically November through April).
Unfortunately, fifty percent of infants who get RSV will develop asthma later in life.
A nasal swab can detect RSV quickly. Here at 98point6 Emergicenter® we have the availability to test for and treat the symptoms of mild to moderate RSV infections. Infants who are very ill will be admitted to the hospital for supportive and aggressive care.
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