“So once the fever is present for a longer period of time, we tend to do more of a workup and assessment of the patient.”

– Dr. Cedric Miller, Emergency Pediatrician at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

RSV is a viral infection that will afflict almost every child in America at some point in his/her life. Four-month-old Shyanne may have it; she’s been sick for a solid week.

“Miss Davis, apparently Shyanne has had some fever, is that right?” asks Dr. Cedric Miller, an emergency pediatrician at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “And that fever’s been going on for a pretty long time. How long?”

“Seven days,” answers Shyanne’s mom.

“That’s actually longer than you would expect a fever to go on in a little baby,” says Miller.

Her fever is 101 – not dangerously high for an infant, but it won’t go away.

“Once the fever is present for a longer period of time,” explains Miller, “we tend to do more of a workup and more of an assessment of the patient.”

The doctor orders blood work and x-rays to check for pneumonia. They also do a nasal swab test.

“You know, we don’t have many tests for viruses,” he tells Shyanne’s mom, “but one we do have is [for] a virus called RSV… It looks like that’s what she has, and that’s why she’s having so much fever and cough and congestion and not feeling well.”

RSV is easily transmitted through skin contact and through the air. In rare cases, it can lead to serious bronchitis or pneumonia. But Dr. Miller says there’s good news for Shyanne.

“Even though she has that virus, it will go away, okay?” he says. “It’ll take a little while, but it’ll go away. … It doesn’t look like she has any real serious infection, no really bad bacterial infection.”

• You can help your kids reduce the risk of contracting RSV by getting them to thoroughly wash their hands, especially after contact with other children.
• Premature babies and children with lung and heart problems are at a much greater risk of getting seriously ill if they contract RSV.
• Much like the flu, RSV season usually lasts from late fall through early spring. Iin some places in the United States, however, it lasts year-round.

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http://www.rsvprotection.com/
http://www.rsvinfo.com/
http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/lung/rsv.html

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“They start off with colds and
then the infections travels down into the lungs and causes inflammation
and infection in the bronchioles. It causes them to become inflamed
and full of secretions and causes difficulty breathing.”

– Dr. David Goo, emergency pediatrician,
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

The virus known as RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) causes infections
of the lungs and breathing passages. According to the American Medical
Association (AMA), RSV is a “major cause of respiratory illness
in young children.” Illnesses can range from severe infections like
pneumonia in infancy to mild infections like a cold in adulthood.

RSV can be passed from person to person through contact with
infected fluids from the nose or mouth of someone infected with
the virus. Symptoms usually appear in four to six days. RSV is
most common from late fall to early spring, with highest rates
occurring in infants from about 2 to 8 months of age. Infants with
older siblings are especially at risk since RSV can be “caught” at
school and passed to a baby at home.

The Centers for Disease Control calls RSV the most common cause of
pneumonia and bronchiolitis among children less than one year of
age.

In children under the age of 3, RSV usually causes a lower respiratory
tract illness, such as bronchiolitis. Symptoms may include:

• High fever
• Severe cough
• Wheezing
• Abnormally rapid breathing
• Difficulty breathing (In infants with severe RSV infection,
  there may be retractions, or drawing in, of the chest muscles
  and skin between the ribs, as the infant struggles to breathe.)

In children over the age of 3 (and adults), symptoms may include:

• Stuffy or runny nose
• Sore throat
• Mild headache
• Mild cough
• Fever
• A generally “ill” feeling

For children with a mild infection from RSV, no specific treatment
is necessary other than treating the symptoms. Antibiotics do no
good against viruses. If you are caring for a child with a mild
RSV infection, the goal is to make the child as comfortable as
possible. Using a cool-mist humidifier may soothe your child’s
irritated breathing passages and may help ease the coughing. Encourage
your child to drink plenty of fluids, such as water and fruit juice.

The CDC says children with severe RSV disease – such as
pneumonia – may require oxygen therapy and, sometimes, mechanical
ventilation. RSV infection usually lasts about a week, but may
last somewhat longer. Children who are hospitalized for an RSV
illness may spend five to seven days in the hospital.

Preventing RSV is difficult. There is no vaccine yet against it.
Because the infection is spread on hands that have touched contaminated
body fluids or objects, it is important for you and your children
to wash your hands after touching anyone who has a cold or an RSV
infection. Keep people who have cold symptoms at a distance from
your baby.

When to call the doctor? The AMA says to contact a pediatrician
if your child has any of the following symptoms – high fever,
severe, prolonged or unusual cough, or difficult, irregular, or
rapid breathing. In infants, call your doctor if your child is
unusually irritable or active, has retractions (drawing in) of
the chest muscles and skin between the ribs when breathing, or
if the baby has difficulty feeding.

Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta
Children’s Healthcare
of Atlanta Emergency Services
American Medical Association
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention