SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Respiratory viruses are circulating in our area and are impacting children in particular. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a big one and it’s concerning many parents in western Massachusetts and we’ve learned that doctors are seeing walking pneumonia symptoms or even a combination of RSV and other respiratory illnesses.
RSV is back and is causing more babies and adults over 65 to get sick and go to hospitals. In western Massachusetts, pediatricians are seeing more cases and the winter season has not officially begun.
“So, this is the season for RSV and we’re seeing a whole lot of it…a lot of kids with, you know, upper viral respiratory infections, cough, runny nose, some fevers and the thinking with RSV is that it can cause lower viral respiratory infections, so they get spread to your lungs,” said Dr. John Kelley with Redwood Pediatrics in East Longmeadow.
Kelley told Western Mass News that most young patients get better within days, but there is one main challenge that comes with getting sick with RSV.
“There are no medications to give to cure. Once you have it, is all supportive care,” Kelley explained.
The respiratory virus usually presents with symptoms that can be easily confused with a common cold, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a parent should take their child to the emergency room when they notice them:
- Heavily struggling to breath
- Having trouble swallowing liquids
- When you observe a suction-like contraction around the rib cage when they try to take a breath
Kelley told us that, right now, there are children with walking pneumonia, which is a less serious version of the virus that usually involves a lasting cough and flu like symptoms. He said 80 percent of the kids with walking pneumonia develop the virus as a result of first having RSV, while the remaining 20 percent of the cases are usually attributed to bacteria, which can be treated with antibiotics. For RSV, Kelley told us there are two options to best prevent getting sick, especially for infants eight months or younger. One of them is a new monoclonal antibody shot.
“That monoclonal antibody, the studies show that it decreases hospitalizations by 80 percent, so that’s huge in the pediatric world. That will significantly decrease admissions to hospitals during the RSV season,” Kelley noted. “…but having said that, there is a shortage and we can’t get it right now, so the company that produces this monoclonal antibody underestimated the demand that was going to be there because this is a game changer.”
The second option for prevention is a vaccine that is given to expectant mothers to help pass down antibodies to their babies.
“That’s another way, so that’s something that anyone out there who is pregnant and are going to deliver during RSV season, which is typically September to March, please ask your OB…getting that RSV vaccine for the sake of your infant,” Kelley said.
Kelley said that the RSV shot for pregnant women will also last longer in the babies, which means no extra shots would be needed once the baby is born. He also told us that he is hoping the vaccine roll out for winter 2024 won’t be as slow as this year.
Kelley explained that parents should keep an eye out for their kids symptoms worsening, but he is recommending they visit their pediatrician first, before heading to the hospital, to avoid crowding the emergency rooms, which may be filled with patients experiencing more acute symptoms.
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