SAN ANTONIO – It’s the peak of RSV season and doctors at Christus Children’s Hospital want to make sure your babies are safe this winter.
The CDC says Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. RSV usually affects infants, older adults and those who are immunocompromised.
Doctor Jendi Haug, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Christus Children’s Hospital, said RSV is seen throughout the year but peaks from October to March.
Haug said Christus Children’s is seeing an influx of kids being diagnosed with RSV. The virus is usually spread by touch but can be spread through the air if you are in close proximity to someone who has it. She says prevention is key to keeping your baby out of the ER.
To help prevent your children from getting the virus, Haug said everyone should practice proper hand washing technique and kids should learn proper cough hygiene.
“Every kindergarten teacher around the country knows they’re going to teach their kids to cough into their elbow, to try not to touch others,” said Haug.
If your baby gets the virus, there are some things you can do to help them fight it. Those include helping manage their fever and pain, making sure they stay hydrated and suctioning out the mucus clogged in the nose.
“We recommend doing a saline spray up each nostril and then suctioning out the mucus and you want to do this on a very regular basis,” Haug said.
Haug said parents should do this at least every two hours. You can do it before feeding, when they wake up from a nap and before they go to sleep for the night.
If your baby starts to run a consistently high fever, and is fatigued, dehydrated and lethargic, Haug says to take them to the emergency room.
“Typically, RSV, for infants, is going to peak in severity on days four through six of the illness,” said Haug.
When a baby goes to the ER for RSV, doctors are looking to see if the baby is in respiratory distress. This can look like fast breathing, using their belly to push air out and retracting the skin into the ribs. If a baby is doing these things and can’t maintain oxygen levels, they will be admitted for care.
You can learn more about when to take your baby to the hospital by clicking here.