KDSN RADIO News
CCMH Not Seeing Strong RSV Numbers Locally
The Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, is getting national attention because of the breathing trouble that related inflammation can cause, especially for children who are only a few months old.
Dr. John Ingram, who specializes in family medicine at Crawford County Memorial Hospital, says RSV case numbers are up overall but it’s not horrible locally.
"Four months and below when they get that it's quite a problem. They get a lot of wheezing and congestion and can run fevers with it. That's when they need to be in the hospital. If their oxygen levels are low," said Dr. Ingram.
He says the symptoms likely resemble a mild cold for children older than six months because their airways are more developed. Dr. Ingram says certain studies recently led to changes in treating RSV.
"We used to give kids a lot of nebulizer treatments and steroids. Big studies have shown that really is not very effective. The most critical thing just like your Grandma told you is getting a lot of fluids in so that they can fight those secretions off. It's been an amazing change over the last few years," said Dr. Ingram.
He says there is currently no immunization for the virus so the best thing parents can do is keep their child home if they are congested and especially if they are wheezing.
