Rescuing From Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Your three-year-old son has all the markings of a cold: runny nose, slight cough and wheezing. But he is unable to speak or cry and he has gray, mottled skin. He could have respiratory syncytial virus.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a mild respiratory virus that typically causes cold-like symptoms. RSV transmission has increased over the years due to decreased exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The common cold, mostly caused by rhinoviruses, shares a similar method of transmission and causes similar symptoms as RSV.
Those infected with RSV are contagious for 3 to 8 days and may become contagious after a day or two before symptoms arise. The virus is commonly spread while children are in school through virus droplets from a cough or sneeze or direct contact. RSV may also be spread through touching a surface, such as a doorknob, and then touching one’s own face. The virus can survive for many hours on hard surfaces and on soft surfaces, such as tissues and hands, for a shorter amount of time.
Symptoms include nasal congestion, sore throat, headache, cough, fever, loss of appetite, and fatigue. Although most cases of the virus among school-aged children are not serious, RSV can affect the lungs and breathing passages and cause wheezing, bronchiolitis, or pneumonia. School-aged children are not considered at-risk for RSV complications, but babies less than a year old can have serious symptoms and illness.
Most cases of RSV are mild and don’t require treatment. Parents often ask for antibiotics to improve their child’s condition, however, antibiotics are generally used to treat bacterial infections, not viral infections like RSV or the common cold.
Children with severe symptoms receive breathing treatments or fluids to reduce dehydration. Children who have mild symptoms should stay home from school and receive a lot of rest, drink plenty of fluids and manage fever, pain and comfortability with the appropriate medications recommended by a physician.
In the United States, people usually get RSV from late fall through early spring. This common virus used to be seasonal in the fall and winter. But over the COVID-19 years, there have been changes in that seasonality, with seasons starting earlier or ending later than usual.
RSV is diagnosed through a nasal swab test. That’s where the pediatrician uses a cotton-tipped stick to remove some of the mucous inside your child’s nose. Your physician may also order an X-ray and an oxygen saturation test.
RSV infections usually last no longer than one or two weeks. Treating RSV is a simple process. In fact, if you or your child have mild to moderate illness, you should just follow these steps that you should take for home: drink water; rest; and take over-the-counter pain or fever medication.
Preventing respiratory illnesses caused by RSV can save your child a lot of trouble. In July 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an antibody shot known as nirsevimab (Beyfortus) to guard against severe RSV in children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended the shot for the following age groups:
§ Babies aged 8 months or younger who were born during or are entering their first RSV season.
§ Infants and children aged 8 to 19 months who are at increased risk of severe RSV disease entering their second RSV season.
Living with RSV means following your at-home treatment guide. Also it means watching symptoms to make sure they don’t get worse.
Some children end up hospitalized. In rare cases, children can die from RSV. It is important that you discuss your concerns regarding your child with a pediatrician.
