Pediatric departments in hospitals are bursting at the seams, virologists recommend keeping children away from events. But how can parents recognize an RSV infection? And can my child benefit from this?
1. How do I recognize an infection in my child?
An infection with RSV – which stands for: respiratory syncytial virus – always starts with cold symptoms: a runny nose, coughing, sneezing. This can affect both adults and children. But where the former usually stops at that, it can lead to a lower respiratory tract infection in children.
Because the mucous membranes become inflamed, excessive mucus is produced. ‘Pay attention to how your child breathes,’ says pediatric pneumologist Julie Willekens (UZ Gent). “Is it developing wheezing? Is it breathing faster than usual? Or does your child have to make more effort to breathe? Then you see the pull when you inhale, pits appear in the ribs, or the abdomen or even the shoulders go with it.’
2. When should I take my child to the hospital?
Not with the first snot, says Willekens. “It can always be a common cold, and even if it’s RSV, it can be mild without going to the doctor.” This is different for very young children less than two months old, or for children with underlying conditions – such as ex-prematures, children with weakened airways or reduced resistance. They are more susceptible to a serious course of the infection.’
As long as a child, despite the runny nose and cough, continues to play and eat normally, there is little cause for concern. ‘But definitely go to the hospital as soon as your son or daughter shows general deterioration: if he or she is more tired, less alert, drinks less, or urinates less. Those are alarm signals. Very young children in particular have less reserve, and therefore a greater risk of dehydration.’
• Steven Van Gucht asks to postpone meetings with babies due to RSV circulation
3. How ill can my child get from an RSV infection?
The vast majority of children survive an RSV infection unscathed. ‘But every year there are also children who become very ill,’ says Willekens. She estimates that one to two percent of infected children end up in hospital, an even smaller proportion in intensive care.
The younger the child is, the greater the chance. ‘Getting very sick’ in this case means developing pneumonia. ‘It very rarely happens that children die from RSV in our country,’ says Willekens. “But that’s very rare and almost always associated with underlying conditions.”
4. How is an RSV infection treated?
Because it is a virus, no medication is possible. ‘The children have to fight the virus themselves,’ says Willekens. What the doctors do do is provide support: administer antipyretics, rinse the nose, use an aerosol, give food in smaller quantities, … In case of severe symptoms, it may be necessary to administer oxygen or give tube feeding.
The search for curative medication is ongoing, says Willekens. Vaccines are under development. Hopefully we can start using it within a few years.’
5. Can my child survive an RSV infection?
In the short term, the pediatricians see an increased susceptibility to infections in the respiratory tract. ‘Children can also get more complaints when they are infected with other viruses. They need puffers more often.’ But from about a year after the infection, that link disappears and children are completely cured.
‘In the long term, we only see a limited link between children who had RSV and asthma. But the question is which is the chicken and which is the egg. Is the asthma a result of the RSV infection? Or were the children more susceptible to RSV because they had a predisposition to asthma from birth?’
6. My child has had an RSV infection. Is it immune now?
Not really. A child builds up resistance to the RSV virus, but that offers insufficient protection against re-infection. Moreover: ‘There are several types of RSV, and a child remains just as vulnerable to that,’ says Willekens. ‘A child can therefore experience an RSV infection several times in one winter.’
• Hospitals under pressure due to high number of RSV patients
7. How can I prevent RSV infection?
The RSV virus is very contagious, says Willekens. It spreads through droplets, so through coughing or sneezing. “It’s the same story as with the coronavirus. And so the same precautionary principles apply: wash and disinfect your hands well, ventilate, and above all: avoid contact with sick people. The same goes the other way: if you have a cold as an adult, don’t visit people with very young children. Also make sure there is no smoking in the vicinity of the child.’