Cincinnati Children's is reporting more cases of RSV among children. Dr. Felicia Scaggs Huang says respiratory syncytial virus is not new, but it is showing up earlier than it usually does, and in greater numbers.
“There’s a lot of theories as to why that might be happening,” she says. “A common one is that children were not exposed to the virus much over the past couple of years so they have no immunity to it and are having more symptoms than they might have had pre-pandemic.”
Kentucky Children’s earlier this week reported capacity challenges, because the surge coincides with rising COVID cases. Officials at Connecticut Children’s were considering asking the Connecticut National Guard for help.
Scaggs Huang says they are busy in Cincinnati, but not turning anyone away. “COVID-19 has really made us be creative and thoughtful over the past couple of years. I would say that we are expecting to see an increase in COVID-19 cases again over the holiday season,” she says. “So if your child is not fully vaccinated or has not yet received a boost when eligible, I would encourage you to do so.”
She says now's also the time to get a flu shot.
There isn't a vaccine for RSV, but Scaggs Huang says Cincinnati Children's is researching a couple of candidates.
The associate director of Infection Prevention and Control at Children’s says RSV usually presents as a cold that lasts for about a week.
She says rapid and/or shallow breathing and apnea are signals to talk to a doctor.
“Most kids will have just a cold that you can manage at home, the way you’ve managed every cold in their lives before. It’s really that increased work at breathing, getting behind on their hydration, when they’re not drinking enough, and they have less in their diapers than usual. Or if they just don’t seem right and you just want a doctor to lay eyes on them.”
Scaggs Huang says most people have been exposed to RSV at some point in their lives and have developed a natural immunity. She says the very young, older people and those with compromised immune systems can develop worse symptoms.
