WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | RSV Season Dangerous for Babies
Member Center:
SAVANNAH, GA--The exam rooms at Pediatric Associates of Savannah are a revolving door of children, sick with colds and flu. But for 4-month-old Jackson Thompson, his illness has progressed into respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
His mom, Jennie, says she knew immediately this head cold was different. "Wheezing, coughing, sneezing. Just regular cold symptoms," she explained. "But you could feel the rattle in his back, especially when you were holding him."
It's a virus Jennie is familiar with. Her 4-year-old son, James, also had the same illness around the same age. Infants are the ones most affected by the virus.
"It worries you," said Jennie. "They're so little and they can't tell you what's wrong."
Pediatrician Dr. Ben Spitalnick said parents may believe it's just a common head cold. "They come in with a constant cough, an inability to drink very well, also a rapid, shallow breathing," Dr. Spitalnick said. "When you listen to their lungs, you hear a very high-pitched, almost musical-quality sound because of all the air that's trapped from the swelling of the lungs."
Unfortunately, Jackson is not the first patient Dr. Spitalnick has seen today. Hundreds of little patients at Pediatric Associates of Savannah have been diagnosed with RSV. Some so severe, they've had to be hospitalized.
"They end up hospitalized because the breathing treatments they do at home aren't strong enough or frequent enough," explained Dr. Spitalnick. "Or they require extra oxygen."
Nebulizers, filled with liquid medicine, help open up the babies lungs and passageways. Those treatments will now become a part of Jackson and Jennie's daily routine, several times a day, until the infection's cleared up. Breathing treatments can last only for a few days or a few weeks.
Jennie hopes Jackson's virus doesn't get any worse. "Pray we get over this quickly, without any problems," she said.
There is a vaccine for RSV, but it's very expensive. It costs around $2,000 per shot, which a child would have to get each month. RSV shots are usually reserved for children with special needs, like premature babies. You would have to be cleared by your doctor to receive the vaccine.
If you think your child has RSV, see your doctor immediately.
Reported by: Melanie A. Ruberti, mruberti@wtoc.com
