Your baby may look like he or she has a common cold with a fever and runny nose, but it could be something much more serious like Respiratory Syncytial Virus, commonly known as RSV. According to the American Lung Association, nearly 100% of all infants are infected with RSV before the age of two.1 Because of the prevalence of RSV in the fall and winter months, the medical professionals at Medco ER have some tips to help you know what to look for if your baby gets sick.
Each year, approximately 58,000 to 80,000 children in the United States are hospitalized from RSV.2 Infants and premature infants are at a higher risk of contracting the RSV infection. It is a highly contagious and easily transmittable virus. It can be picked up from handling contaminated objects or by being on the receiving end of someone coughing or sneezing.
Symptoms
While infants or babies may not show all of the most common symptoms, parents should watch out for listlessness, decreased appetite, fussiness and changes in breathing. Infants with RSV may require a hospital stay.3
Here are some other symptoms of RSV:
- Runny nose
- Fever
- Cough
- Blueish lips and fingernails
- Short, shallow breathing
- Difficulty breathing, wheezing, caving of chest to pull hard
- Flared nostrils
- Irritability
- Listlessness
- Not eating or drinking as usual
- Coughing
Testing and Treatment
Your physician may order a test to check white blood cell counts and to look for viruses to confirm an RSV diagnosis. A person infected with RSV may experience additional complications such as bronchitis, pneumonia or dehydration.
“If your baby or child is sick with a fever and runny nose,” said Medco ER’s Medical Director, Dr. Nasir Khan, “bring him or her in right away to be checked. Because RSV is so common and can quickly escalate into an emergency, it’s good to be checked out right away. In Texas, the cases of RSV in infants are on the rise, so it’s time for parents to be extra cautious.”
Red Flags
“If your baby has a fever, is not eating or drinking well, has a cough, or is wheezing or breathing hard, bring him or her into Medco ER right away,” said Dr. Khan. “Listlessness and difficulty breathing are warning signs that something serious is going on.”
Prevention
RSV is so common that your baby is almost certain to contract it at some point. It can be contracted at any age, not just infancy, so adults could transmit it, too. While not every RSV infection escalates into an emergency, there are some steps you can take to try to protect your baby from infection.
- Avoid close contact with sick people
- Don’t share cups or toys
- Wash hands frequently
Get Help Fast at Medco ER
If your baby is sick and has a fever, come to Medco ER any time day or night for fast help from board-certified physicians. We are always open and ready to treat you or your baby. We can diagnose and treat RSV in infants, babies children and adults. Our rapid-results labs can test for RSV and we can check for complications while providing some of the best medical care available in Plano, TX.
Plano: 3960 Legacy Drive, Plano, TX 75023 (on the corner of Legacy and Coit Road)
Call us @ 469-747-0370
1 https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/rsv/symptoms-diagnosis
2 https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/high-risk/infants-young-children.html
3 https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8282-respiratory-syncytial-virus-in-children-and-adults