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An off year for No. 1 respiratory virus By
Debbie Lamb
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the leading respiratory virus in babies and younger children, but this has been a light year for the virus in Logan. Most cases have signs of the common cold. At the highest risk are babies that are premature, have chronic problems or are born with birth defects. "RSV is a very contagious viral infection among children and infants," said Carol Stowers of the pediatric clinic at Logan Regional Hospital. "This year has been a very light year. We've had many cases but not over whelming amounts." RSV patients often are treated with oxygen, Stowers said. Respiratory illnesses affect the level of oxygen in the body. Giving oxygen helps so the body isn't being deprived. Often doors are shut to the patients' bedrooms because the infection is passed through contact. Coughing and sneezing are the basic ways of passing along the infection. In the past Logan Regional Hospital has had epidemics of RSV, Stowers said. In the past couple of years a very extensive immunization has been developed. "People are more aware of RSV than they used to," Stowers said. "The public has been educated to prevent children from contracting the virus which has lowered the number of patients the hospital sees with RSV." This year the Logan Hospital has probably recorded 20 to 30 cases of RSV, Stowers said. The numbers may not be accurate because sometimes a patient comes in with the symptoms of RSV but doctors opt not to run the test because the patient has the same symptoms of RSV but they will treat the same as someone who has had a positive test. "Anytime you've got a daycare situation and your kid is sick, don't take them," Stowers said. "It is recommended that infants are kept away from other people during the duration of the infection, especially newborns, the younger the child the worse it will affect them. For infants RSV will turn into pneumonia, for children three years old it takes the form of the coop. In older children it will be found in flu symptoms and adults can carry it in the form of a cold." From January to March the infection is at its peak, Stowers said. The symptoms come on just like a cold but can last up to one month, she said. Some of the symptoms are runny nose, cough, irritability, not wanting to eat, hard time breathing, throwing up and diarrhea, she said. "Once they've had it they can get it again," Stowers said. "It doesn't mean that they will but they could."
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