A national nonprofit is drawing attention to the virus responsible for sending more infants to the hospital than any other.
The American Lung Association hopes to raise awareness of the dangers of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV for children. Healthcare officials say the highly contagious virus occurs from October to March.
Dr. Juanita Mora is an allergist and immunologist, and she is the national medical spokesperson for the organization.
“It is the number one cause of infant hospitalization in those less than one year of age,” according to Dr. Mora. “It also leads to 2.1million outpatient visits to the pediatrician, in those less than five years of age and 80,000 hospitalizations a year for those less than five years of age.”
She says there are symptoms parents should look for when determining when to seek medical attention.
“One is when all that phlegm gets into their lungs, and they start having trouble breathing. So, their chest is moving up and down or they’re using their little neck muscles to breathe, or they have a cough that is continuing to worsen, or they just are looking like they’re struggling. That’s one scenario to take them to the emergency department. The other one is signs of dehydration. You need to monitor the wet diapers that this baby has throughout the day.”
Dr. Mora says the virus can also pose serious risks for people older than 65 years old. Visit Lung.org for more information. An antibody and vaccine are available.
