Prevent RSV in Babies This Winter #RSVAwareness. I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for MedImmune. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
How to Prevent RSV in Babies This Winter #RSVAwareness
The cooler weather hits Florida about October time and what is my immediate first thought? It’s RSV season.
I have seen hundreds of babies with RSV in my lifetime already, and it’s definitely a diagnosis that is scary for parents. Why? Because there’s no specific treatment, and babies can deteriorate rapidly. What should you know about RSV this winter? What are RSV signs & symptoms? What preventative steps can we take? We’re going to talk about them ALL today.
What is RSV?
Did you know that I was a pediatric nurse? 6 years on a pediatric hospital floor, RSV was not just a common diagnosis, it was one I had to keep an eye on. Babies all under 2 years old, some a tiny as days old would come in unable to breathe. The look of fear on parents’ faces, it was a scary situation.
RSV is short for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, aka a fancy name for a severe seasonal virus that typically causes mild to moderate cold-like symptoms in young babies. But it’s also the leading cause of hospitalizations for babies under 1 year old. Nearly 125,000 babies will be diagnosed every year from November through March, and up to 200 deaths can occur.
But despite RSV being such a common diagnosis, especially around this time of year, nearly 1/3 of mothers have actually never heard of the virus. We need to change that.
RSV Signs & Symptoms
- Persistent coughing and wheezing
- Bluish color around the mouth and fingernails
- Rapid, difficult or gasping breaths
- Fever, especially over 100.4 degrees F {rectal} in babies under 3 months old
RSV is even more dangerous in preemies. Preterm babies are 50% more likely to be hospitalized than healthy full term babies. And treatment for RSV is palliative (for comfort) at best. Oxygen, suctioning, constant monitoring, I’ve watched babies quickly move to the ICU. RSV is definitely a diagnosis that ALL parents of young babies need to be aware of. If your baby experiences ANY of these symptoms, you need to contact your pediatrician immediately.
What Can We Do to Prevent RSV?
RSV is highly contagious. In fact, in the hospitals all nurses are donned with gloves and gowns when they would treat RSV babies because you can spread the virus through sneezing, coughing, and touching. EVEN adults. And the virus can live on surfaces for hours too. That’s why prevention is KEY during RSV season. Here’s what we can do to protect our precious babies this season:
- Wash their hands and yours
- Keep toys, blankets, sheets, clothes and other common household items clean
- Avoid crowds and other babies that have RSV
- Never let anyone smoke around your baby
- Stay away from people that are sick or have been sick recently
You as parents are babies’ #1 protector again RSV this season. In fact, World Prematurity Day is coming on November 17th. There’s no better time to talk about RSV and what we can do. Let’s spread the word, get all parents educated on RSV, and keep our babies out of the hospital this season.
Here’s a wonderful infographic to share with your family and friends.
It’s RSV season. Let’s do more.
Want to learn more about keeping your baby safe this season? Check out the RSV Prevention website for more details: https://www.RSVprotection.com
Have you experienced RSV in your own family? I’d love to hear about it and answer any questions you may have!
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Liz Mays says
The fact it’s so highly contagious is super, super scary. I always appreciate when people spread awareness about it.
Masshole mommy says
It is scary to think about a little baby being so sick like that. RSV is a terrible thing for them to have to fight off when there so little.
Pam says
RSV is such a scary virus for infants. Luckily neither of my kids ever got it, but I was absurdly protective of them during the winter viral seasons.
kristin says
RSV is no Joke. I’m so glad that our little one never got it.
chrysa says
This is such a scary contagious virus. Thanks for sharing it so that others can be aware of it.
Chrissy says
RSV can be really scary. I am so glad there are things that can be done to prevent it. Thank you for raising awareness!
Theresa says
RSV is no joke! I had a friend whose baby was hospitalized due to RSV complications. It was a very scary time!
Beth@FrugalFroggie says
My youngest had RSV when he was 2 months old. Glad he didn’t have to be hospitalized.
Beth@KCMompreneurs says
I am glad that there is more awareness about RSV. It can be frightening when your child gets that sick. Especially if you don’t know the symptoms.
Rosey says
What a perfect sweet baby picture!!
That being said, RSV sounds like it’s the very real deal. I think it’s wonderful that you’re helping spread awareness.
Debbie Denny says
It is such a scary thing. Great to be aware of this.
krystalskitsch says
Thank you for sharing this info! I actually didn’t know about RSV until recently! Ack!
Debra says
Wow, this is so scary. I don’t know that I was that aware of it with my kids when they were babies, but I should have been. I was always cleaning their toys – doing a bleach bath once a week for anything that went in their mouths!
Tess says
That is a scary sickness. I’ve seen a baby with it and it’s not sonething you want your kid to have.
Ann B says
So scary! Thanks for sharing with your readers as this is something that parents need to know about.
Kiwi says
I’ve never heard of RSV but it sounds so sad for a baby to get sick like that. Thanks for spreading the word and bringing awareness!
Jenn @TheRebelChick says
I’m always so shocked when people have never heard of RSV! Thank you so much for helping to spread the word.
Donna says
This is such an important topic and it is so good that you are helping to get the message out there.
Tracey says
That is such a scary thing. I had actually never heard about it before so thank you for sharing this.
Brandy says
This is the first year I have heard so much about RSV and I have raised three babies, who are now 6, 8 and 12. Had little clue about RSV until they were older honestly. Kinda scary, it sounds like a parents nightmare. Glad to have some proactive cautionary steps to follow!