Parents are being urged to be aware of the signs of a common winter illness in children after figures show the number of children hospitalized with the illness has quadrupled in just a month.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which affects 90 percent of children under two years of age, usually causes mild cold-like symptoms that disappear within a few weeks.
However, in vulnerable people such as infants, older children with weakened immune systems, and the elderly, it can become serious and is a leading cause of lung infections such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis, which may require ventilation.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), RSV hospitalizations rose 473 per cent in the week ending November 16 compared with the same period in October.
Case numbers have been higher than usual over the past two winters as Covid measures in previous years suppressed events, meaning younger people now have much lower immunity.
This is because this is the first time the vaccine has been approved for use in pregnant women to provide better protection for infants against RSV from birth.
Around three in 100 children with RSV require hospital treatment, according to the charity Asthma + Lung UK. The virus causes between 20 and 30 child deaths in the UK each year, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
Experts warn parents to watch for symptoms such as breathing and feeding problems, noisy breathing, a dry, scratchy cough and a high fever.
Lydia Johnson didn’t realize how serious RSV could be until her six-week-old baby Leo nearly died in hospital in May this year. He was born full term and had no obvious vulnerabilities.
At one point, nurses prepared the mother of three for the worst and asked her to call a priest.
The child, who is now eight months old, was taken to the hospital, and doctors said that her lungs were damaged.
“I want to raise awareness that Leo’s condition has deteriorated so quickly,” she said. I.
“I had no idea RSV could be so dangerous”
Lydia, 29, from Telford, Shropshire, was breastfeeding Leo at home when she noticed he was breathing heavily. “He was sucking on his ribs like he was really out of breath,” she said.
Within 10 minutes he was blue and limp and she rushed him to the hospital. When she arrived at the emergency room, he was completely motionless. “It was only a five-minute drive to the hospital, everything went downhill so quickly,” she recalls.
After receiving oxygen, baby Leo was discharged two days later. But later that day he started having breathing problems again.
Before they reached the pediatric ward, Leo had completely stopped breathing and was unresponsive. Lydia watched in shock as the skin on his legs became blotchy and the doctors hooked him up to an oxygen machine. He also had a feeding tube.
X-rays showed that Leo’s lungs were clogged and he was taken to intensive care in critical condition. The next day he crashed again.
“I felt so helpless,” Lydia said. “Around 6 a.m., he made a strange wheezing sound, stopped breathing again, and the nurse called 911. All I could see were little light gray legs sticking out from under the arms of the doctors and nurses desperately trying to save him. I ran down the corridor in hysterics. I couldn’t watch.”
The nurse gave a clear warning to Lydia and her husband Clayton. “She said he was the sickest child they had there. She asked if he was baptized and if we wanted a priest.”
It was a stressful few days, but luckily the antibiotics worked and Leo got through it. However, since then the teenager has been hospitalized a total of eight times.
Lydia says she is very concerned that he and her other children, four-year-old Sophia and almost two-year-old Alicia, could become infected at the daycare.
“We don’t know what the future holds for Leo, but I’m so glad I trusted my instincts and took him to the hospital right away,” Lydia said. “I had no idea RSV could be so dangerous or cause lasting damage.”
Calls for vaccinations
Last June, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization, which advises the government on vaccination policy, called for a new winter vaccination to combat RSV. It says ministers should consider a seasonal or year-round invitation to vaccinate pregnant women and babies, as well as people aged 75 and over. But in September the government delayed the implementation.
On Thursday it was announced that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency had given the green light for the first time to Pfizer’s Abrisvo vaccine for pregnant British women.
The vaccine is the second RSV vaccine approved in the UK, following GSK’s Arexvy vaccine in July.
Experts say the vaccine will protect babies from complications if the mother is vaccinated from birth to six months of age.
Asthma + Lung UK says vaccines need to be delivered as quickly as possible to help vulnerable groups and protect the NHS from being overwhelmed every winter.
Emma Rubach, the charity’s medical director, said: “Like most other colds and viruses, RSV starts with a stuffy or runny nose and can lead to cough, fever and sometimes difficulty breathing.” they can be cared for at home.
“However, some children develop more severe symptoms and bronchiolitis. Warning signs to look out for in your children include difficulty feeding or eating, rapid breathing, high fever, loud breathing (wheezing), or looking very tired.
“If you have any of these symptoms, seek emergency medical attention. And call 999 if your baby has difficulty breathing, pauses in breathing, your baby’s skin, tongue or lips are blue or your baby is very lethargic.”
A DHSC spokesman said: “The NHS already offers monoclonal antibodies that provide protection against RSV in very high-risk infants.
“We are developing options for delivering more comprehensive RSV programs for infants and adults, working with the UK Health Security Agency, NHS England and manufacturers. We will update the information over time.”
For more information and advice on RSV and bronchiolitis, click here or call the Asthma + Lung UK helpline.
0300 222 5800.
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.