progress to a serious lower lung infection.
“The symptoms are virtually synonymous with the common cold – runny nose, congestion, maybe a little cough – but RSV is associated with a much higher risk of progression from an upper respiratory cold to a lower lung infection,” says Dr. Patrick Gavigan. He is a pediatric infectious disease physician at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, in Hershey, Penn. “This includes viral pneumonia or bronchiolitis, which involves inflammation of the small airways in the lung.”
If you aren’t sure if your child has a cold or RSV, you should look for signs of trouble with feeding or difficulty with breathing. A doctor can confirm a diagnosis with a nasal swab.
“Are they breathing faster or do you see them sucking in their belly a lot to breathe? Apnea – a pause in breathing – is common in premature babies or infants under 1 month of age who have RSV,” Gavigan shares. “Are they feeding enough to stay hydrated? We often see loss of appetite, or they’re working really hard to breathe while they’re feeding.”
Children at high risk of complications from RSV are often prescribed monthly injections of palivizumab (Synagis). This monoclonal antibody helps prevent serious lung infections and hospitalizations, Gavigan adds.
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Who’s most at risk?
Premature infants born at 29 weeks gestation or less and infants younger than 6 months are among those most at risk from the virus.
Children younger than 2 years old who have chronic lung disease or congenital heart disease are also at higher risk, as are kids with a weakened immune system or neuromuscular disorders.
However, all infants and toddlers might be more at risk this year. In the past, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned medical professionals that older infants and toddlers might be at greater than usual risk of severe RSV-associated illness because it was unlikely that they had typical levels of exposure to RSV during the previous months.
“By age 2, most children have had RSV, and symptoms usually peak around five to seven days before resolving on its own,” Gavigan says. “However, 1% to 3% of children will be hospitalized with it.”
How to protect your child
There’s no vaccine for RSV, but you can still make sure your kids are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases, Dr. Katie Lockwood, chair of pediatrics with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia says.
“First and foremost, I would recommend that you keep your child up to date with their routine childhood immunizations, as well as getting the