RSV everywhere - but what is it actually?
Today we're talking about a topic that is currently on everyone's lips - and not just a challenge in terms of pronunciation: We're talking about the "respiratory syncytial virus", or RS virus for short, which is keeping paediatric practices and clinics particularly busy this year.
Even if it has only recently become known to the general public, the RS virus has long been familiar to medical professionals. It normally occurs in all months with an "r", i.e. from September to April. This year, unfortunately, it arrived much earlier, so that we have been struggling with many cases of RS since June and July.
The RS virus is transmitted by droplet or smear infections and triggers respiratory illnesses that are often quite harmless. However, in certain cases the virus can become a major problem, namely for babies and toddlers up to the age of around one and a half years. After that, there are actually no more serious cases and it is assumed that by the age of two or three, all children have actually been in contact with the virus, i.e. are infected.
So what do parents need to watch out for? The problem is that babies and toddlers can sometimes deteriorate rapidly, even if their course is initially harmless. And that's why the following applies once again: Pay close attention to how your child is feeling. If your baby has a cold and suddenly, i.e. within a few hours, the condition worsens significantly, then you should definitely see your paediatrician quickly.
Possible signs are The child stops drinking, moves less, is less active. It may have difficulty breathing, so that a hollow forms in the area below the larynx or the nostrils widen. If your child is coughing and snotty, but is drinking, kicking and happy, then there is no imminent danger.
With a trained ear, we paediatricians can often suspect RSV just by listening. You can hear rattling, whistling, clanking - a very colourful and suspicious listening noise.
The disease cannot be treated causally, but only symptomatically - and in the worst case in hospital. If the child is in a bad way, it is important to check the oxygen saturation and, in an emergency, to give oxygen to support breathing.
Premature babies or children with cardiopulmonary diseases are particularly at risk. There is also a passive immunisation for these children, in which the child is injected with antibodies every four weeks. This is terribly expensive, which is why this treatment is only justified for a very small number of children. Fortunately, in a normal year, RS virus infections are not as big a problem as they are at the moment.
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