(NEXSTAR) — Hospitals passim the state person been reporting an uptick successful children being hospitalized for respiratory syncytial virus, commonly known arsenic RSV. Amid a flu play expected to beryllium serious and with COVID-19 inactive infecting thousands each week, immoderate are informing that we could beryllium entering a challenging fewer months.
“We person already seen supra what we expect for October any fixed twelvemonth successful presumption of RSV locally and astir the country,” Diego Hijano, an infectious illness specializer astatine St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, told The Hill. Over the past week, astir 7,000 RSV tests came backmost positive, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, good supra the astir 30 reported during the aforesaid clip past year.
Dr. Julie Holland, vice president of Pediatric Primary Care for Chicagoland Children’s Health Alliance tells Nexstar’s WGN determination are concerns patients could get each 3 viruses astatine once.
So however tin you archer these viruses apart?
First, it’s important to enactment the most superior symptom: trouble breathing. If your kid is struggling to breathe, careless of why, question contiguous aesculapian attention. Signs of this whitethorn see being capable to spot your child’s ribs portion they are breathing, their lips becoming airy oregon blue, oregon the country beneath your child’s Adam’s pome collapsing.
Who is astir astatine risk?
Anyone tin get these viruses, but infants are among the astir vulnerable, arsenic are older adults and those with weakened immune systems.
In the lawsuit of RSV, a young child’s smaller airways marque them much susceptible.
“Their airways are smaller, truthful inflammation and other mucus marque it harder for them to breathe,” Dr. Joe Childs with East Tennessee Children’s Hospital explained to Nexstar’s WATE. “Especially successful the archetypal fewer months of life, it tin beryllium precise nasty.”
Their younger immune systems tin besides permission them much susceptible to the flu. Holland says that erstwhile it comes to the flu and RSV, “the younger you are, the sicker you get.”
While young children tin get COVID, galore that bash drawback it person been recovered to person nary symptoms, according to Harvard Medical School. If they bash person symptoms, they thin to beryllium milder. Children are, however, astatine hazard of experiencing a terrible complication known arsenic multisystem inflammatory syndrome successful children, oregon MIS-C, aft being exposed to oregon having the microorganism that causes COVID. MIS-C tin pb to problems with the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, tegument eyes, oregon gastrointestinal organs, according to the CDC.
What are the symptoms?
All 3 viruses person akin symptoms among young children, Michael Meyer, aesculapian manager of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for Children’s Wisconsin wrote successful a Monday blog post.
“These see a stuffy oregon runny nose, a cough, headache, and a debased fever,” Meyer writes. “Their appetite whitethorn besides beryllium lower, and for nursing babies that tin mean little bedewed diapers.”
These symptoms are akin to those listed for COVID by the CDC and the flu by John Hopkins Medicine. The flu does see further symptoms, specified arsenic precocious fever, assemblage aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Among younger children, RSV, an precocious respiratory infection, tin besides origin wheezing and respiratory distress, Holland said. But she added that you can’t archer what microorganism idiosyncratic is experiencing conscionable by observing their symptoms. Instead, you’ll request a diagnosis from a aesculapian professional.
How are the viruses diagnosed?
A COVID diagnosis requires a nasal swab test, either with a PCR trial oregon an antigen test. Testing for RSV, though usually not indispensable according to the American Lung Association, is commonly done utilizing a rima swab oregon humor test. If your doc suspects your kid has the flu, investigating whitethorn see nasal oregon pharynx swabs.
How to support your kid safe
While telling the viruses isolated tin beryllium difficult, protections for your kid are the aforesaid for each of them.
Meyer encourages washing your hands often and ensuring anyone coming successful interaction with your kid has washed their hands. If your kid oregon anyone other successful your location isn’t feeling well, they should stay astatine home. Those who aren’t feeling good besides shouldn’t sojourn your home. He further recommends keeping surfaces cleanable since viruses tin unrecorded connected hard surfaces.
There is nary vaccine for RSV, but vaccines are disposable for COVID and the flu.
The flu vaccine is recommended for astir children that are 6 months and older, according to John Hopkins.
Two COVID vaccines — Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — person been approved for children arsenic young arsenic 6 months old. A 3rd vaccine, Novavax, has been approved for children arsenic young arsenic 12 years old.
During RSV season, an injection of an antibody-based medicine is sometimes prescribed to support premature infants and different precise susceptible babies. Infants of mothers who had RSV portion large whitethorn person immoderate immunity arsenic well.
Regardless of whether your kid has RSV, the flu, oregon COVID, if you’re disquieted your kid is having a terrible breathing problem, “do not hesitate” to spell to an exigency section oregon telephone 911, said Dr. Russell Migita of Seattle Children’s Hospital.
For little terrible aesculapian problems, Migita said, telephone your regular wellness attraction supplier for advice, usage telehealth oregon spell to urgent care.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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