CINCINNATI — A surge in RSV cases continues across the country as flu season starts to ramp up too.
"With increased RSV infections, a rising number of flu cases and the ongoing burden of COVID-19 in our communities, there's no doubt that we will face some challenges this winter," said Dawn O'Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Tri-State mom Megan Gooding said it took weeks for her daughter to get back to normal after contracting RSV this fall.
"It started off kind of just like a typical cold, but seemed to get worse pretty quickly," Gooding said. "It’s not your typical virus — it really, really took her out for a couple of weeks."
Gooding said it was the worst she’d ever seen her daughter.
"You feel helpless," she said. "I mean, I wish I could just take it away."
Her daughter Rosie had a bad cough, trouble breathing and lost her appetite.
"She was really lethargic," she said. "She's an active little 16-month-old and all she wanted to do was sleep all day."
Gooding said Rosie’s pediatrician gave her a breathing treatment, which helped. A few weeks later, Rosie is back to her normal self.
"We're seeing record number of patients," said Dr. Chris Peltier, a pediatrician with Pediatric Associates of Mt. Carmel. "We had the busiest day on Tuesday in our office that we've had all year."
Peltier is the president of the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"It really seems that [there is] a large number of cases much earlier than we normally have," he said. "Nobody's really sure why that's happening."
One theory is that some kids are being exposed for the first time after avoiding contact during the pandemic.
"The good news is that the majority of kids, even if they do develop that lower respiratory infection, most babies do okay," Peltier said. "The babies that are really at risk for problems from RSV are often premature infants as well as babies with underlying health conditions."
Peltier said parents should monitor children’s hydration status by gauging how often they urinate. He said kids should be urinating at least three times per day. He said parents should also monitor for trouble breathing.
When it comes to seeking medical attention, Peltier said the first step should usually be calling a child’s pediatrician.
"Often for most things, pediatrician's offices are equipped to handle them," he said. "We can get you in sooner than most likely you're gonna be seen in the emergency department."
Nearly 19% of PCR tests for RSV came back positive during the week of Oct. 29, according to CDC data compiled from participating labs across the country. The CDC warns recent data might not be complete.
Peltier said numbers could be underreported because many doctors do not test for RSV in order to diagnose it.
On the other side of RSV, Gooding offered some advice.
"Reach out to other parents," she said. "Sharing those stories, knowing you're not alone really helped."
There is not currently a vaccine for RSV, but drug companies are working to develop one. Some moms recently participated in a vaccine trial led by Pfizer through Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
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