Respiratory syncytial virus hits babies

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Virus hitting sickly babies especially hard this year

Soap, water best prevention

McEver, November 15, 2007 - 3:11PM

On Sunday, 10-month-old Naomi Fis was congested, wheezing and seemed

especially sleepy, according to mom Katia. By Monday, she was in

pediatric intensive care, struggling to breathe as an infection raged

in her lungs.

Naomi developed complications from a common, cold-like virus that is

spreading rapidly in the Rio Grande Valley this fall, according to

local doctors. Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, only causes minor

illness in most children, but for premature or sickly babies like

Naomi — who underwent heart surgery at 3 months — RSV can become

life-threatening, experts say.

" It's mostly an issue for babies born prematurely, babies with lung

disease or immune deficiencies, " said Dr. Light, a

clinical-pediatrics professor at the University of Miami. Light is an

expert on RSV. " It's the leading cause of hospitalization for babies. "

Like the flu, RSV infections are seasonal, usually peaking in the

fall. But the season seems to have started early this year in the

Valley, said Dr. M. Camacho, a pediatric intensivist at Valley

Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen.

Of the 10 children currently in the pediatric ICU at Valley Baptist,

eight are fighting complications from RSV, Camacho said. The hospital

started seeing children with RSV in early August — usually, the first

cases appear in October, she said.

" It really varies according to the year. We don't know why … it could

be weather conditions, " Camacho said.

Edinburg Children's Hospital also has seen quite a few infants with

RSV, said a spokeswoman with South Texas Health System. She didn't

immediately know the number of cases the hospital has seen.

This year's cases also seem especially aggressive — about half of the

patients who have visited Valley Baptist's pediatric ICU since early

October suffered from RSV infections, Camacho said.

The lowdown on RSV

RSV is a common virus that, like the cold virus, attacks the

respiratory tract. Most infants and children who contract the virus

develop mild, cold-like symptoms — stuffy nose, sore throat, coughing

— and recover quickly, experts said.

But premature babies and children with heart or lung disease can

quickly develop bronchiolitis, an infection of the lung's small

airways, or pneumonia. Some babies also can develop apnea, which means

they stop breathing entirely for short intervals, Light said.

Nationwide, RSV season usually starts in November. But in Texas and

Florida the season starts earlier and no one knows exactly why, Light

said.

" It could be related to temperature, humidity or proximity to the

ocean, " he said.

The virus is extremely contagious, but parents can take several steps

to prevent an infant's exposure, Light said. First of all, wash your

hands frequently, he said. Also, limit the baby's exposure to sick

children and adults who might have RSV.

" Most of it is common sense, " Light said of preventing RSV infection.

Don't let strangers touch the baby, at least not without washing their

hands, Camacho said.

In general, it's best not to bring small children into public settings

very often during the winter months because they could be exposed to

RSV or other viruses, said Dr. Austin, a Mission family physician.

" It's important to keep them away from sick adults and children, " said

Austin, who said he sees a few cases of confirmed RSV each year, and

several more suspected cases.

Treatment for mild RSV infections is similar to treating a cold.

Antibiotics won't help in most cases because the illness is caused by

a virus, doctors said. So the best treatment is drinking fluids and

rest, unless the illness becomes more severe, they said.

Some babies might need antiviral drug

Babies at high risk for developing complications from RSV might need a

preventive shot to keep the illness at bay, Light said. The

medication, known as Synagis, reduces the virus' presence in babies'

lungs and nasal passages, but doesn't prevent illness completely,

experts said.

" It doesn't prevent bronchiolitis, but it makes it milder … (the

child) is less likely to end up in the ICU, " Light said.

The medicine is " very expensive, " however, and Medicaid and private

insurance only covers it for especially fragile babies, Light said.

Families have to apply for Medicaid coverage of the drug, and might

have to wait a few months for obtaining approval, Camacho said.

Parents of sickly or premature babies should be sure to ask about the

medication, she said.

RSV is extremely common, but for most children severe illness is

preventable, Camacho said.

" All you need to kill (the virus) is soap and water, " she said.

http://www.themonitor.com/news/rsv_6648___article.html/babies_children.html