RSV season

Post updated 11/2015

 

November is often considered the start of RSV season. Sure enough we have already seen it in the office and confirmed our suspicions with our in-office test.

Here is the RSV post, updated for the 2015/16 season.

What is severe RSV disease?

Respiratory syncytial (sin-SI-shul) virus, or RSV, is a common, seasonal, and easily spread virus. In fact, nearly all children will get their first RSV infection by age 2.
Like most viruses it ranges in its severity from case to case.

Severe RSV disease is the number one reason babies under 12 months old have to be admitted to hospitals in the US. You know the wretched colds that knock you flat and stand out in your memory? These are the colds that come with runny noses, sniffling and sneezing, harsh cough and fever. That illness might well be RSV. I actually can almost diagnose it over the phone when I hear the patients coughing. The cough sounds like it hurts.

There is a test that we can do in the office (a swab to the nose) to see if it is RSV or not, but unless your child is looking really sick we might not bother. It doesn't necessarily change the approach. We often do nebulizer treatments for our wheezers, but with RSV they don't always help all that much.

Time usually fixes this and all that we can offer is often the same symptomatic treatment and supportive care that we would do for any bad cold and cough. Treat the fever as needed   

                                                                                                

fever post 

To clear the nose, squirt some saline or breast milk in each nostril and then suck it back out with either a  Nose Frida/ aspirator or the Neil Med Naspira I think those are much easier to use than the standard bulb aspirators.

I also just learned about a brand new product. The Oogie bear is a safe little scoop that can safely get into the nostril and removed the more stubborn boogies.

If your child is having trouble eating because of all the congestion, try doing some clearing about ten minutes before a feeding.

It is also helpful to keep their heads elevated. They may need to spend the night in a safe infant seat or you can try to raise the mattress a bit. For older kids, add an extra pillow. Let them sit in a steamy bathroom, and use a humidifier at night. Increase fluids during the day.

RSV can cause ear infections and pneumonia. Severe RSV disease symptoms include:

• Coughing or wheezing that does not stop
• Fast or troubled breathing
• A bluish color around the mouth or fingernails
• Spread-out nostrils and/or a caved-in chest when trying to breathe
• Gasping for breath

If your child is having trouble breathing, or significant trouble feeding, they may need to be hospitalized for a night or two for fluids, oxygen and observation. I would say that we have several kids routinely hospitalized for this every year (not just young babies.) There is no other real treatment for RSV other that close observation, but for certain high risk patients, there is a medication that is given monthly that significantly protects them. This medication is called Synagis.

If your child was premature, or has cardiac or pulmonary issues they may qualify. Talk to your doctor's office ASAP to find out if your child fits into the guidelines. Alas the guidelines are quite restrictive. Much to the dismay of most sensible practitioners, they became even tougher last year. We used to be able to get it for preemies who were born before 35 weeks. The new rules moved that to 30 weeks. So far I don’t have any candidates this season. I hope it stays that way. In California the official RSV season starts on November 1st. (I don't think that RSV knows that it has a season, but that is when the insurance companies will start shipping the medication.)

Since most of our children can not get protected with Synagis, please take precautions to prevent the spread of this nasty virus, especially for the youngest most vulnerable babies.

Wash your hands before touching your child. Make sure others wash up, too. Clean toys, crib rails, and any other surfaces your baby might touch. Try to keep your baby away from crowds. Avoid anyone with a cold or fever. Don't let anyone smoke near your baby. Tobacco smoke exposure can increase the risk of severe RSV disease.

Sadly it takes multiple exposures before you develop immunity. Most folks get RSV about 8 times until they finally seem to be not as vulnerable! It spikes again in older folks when the immunity tends to wane and it can sweep through retirement communities, so be cautious for the older adults in your life as well.

If your child is unfortunate enough to get a nasty case of RSV during the season it takes a long time for the lungs to calm down. In my experience it is not uncommon for these kids to have a tough winter. Every new cold seems to retrigger the wheeze. This does NOT necessarily mean they have asthma. For repeat wheezers, if the nebulized medications bring relief it might be worth owning a machine. We rent them out of the office for $5/ day, but you can purchase them for less than $100 from Walgreen's. Having a nebulizer safely tucked away in the bottom of the closet may save you from a night time or weekend trip to the emergency room.

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