Every mama knows that getting sick is something that’s unavoidable. Growing up, a mama’s most likely gotten sick a handful of times at the least. With that in mind, every mama also knows that their child will get sick at some point.
Knowing that your child will get sick can be a very scary thought. However, it becomes more manageable if you know what sickness you’re dealing with. For example, mamas that have gotten something like measles more or less know how to deal with it. So, if their child gets it, they’ll have an idea on how to manage this illness. This makes them worry a lot less because it’s something they have experience with.
Unfortunately, not all mamas know what sicknesses their child could be dealing with. If they did, then things would be a lot easier because they know what to do. But, that’s not how things work. However, even if you don’t have experience with a sickness, there are still ways to make managing your child’s sickness easier. You can still educate yourself on it.
With that in mind, this article will give you more information on RSV, a rather common, yet very worrisome viral sickness that a lot of children deal with at some point in their lives. While it might not sound so familiar, it’s something that’s easy to learn about and deal with. So, by the time you’re done reading this article, you’ll be adequately equipped with the information needed to help you deal with this disease without having to worry so much!
What Is RSV?
Also known as respiratory syncytial virus, RSV is a viral illness that’s a lot like the common cold. Much like the common cold, RSV is also a commonly contracted illness. What’s more, it’s an illness that people all over the world can catch, no matter what time of year.
RSV shares a lot of similarities with a common cold. For starters, the symptoms are more or less the same. Aside from that, it eventually goes away on its own. So, it’s not really such a big deal most of the time. However, there are some rare cases where an RSV infection may require more than just bed rest and recovering at home.
Despite this, there are still times when some people can get seriously ill due to RS. This is usually the case for those who are more susceptible to illnesses. Examples of those susceptible to more serious cases of RSV include the following:
- infants younger than 6 months old
- infants and children with a pre-existing lung disease
- infants born prematurely
- infants and children with a congenital heart disease
- infants with secondhand smoke exposure
- infants exposed to HIV
- those with Down syndrome
- immunocompromised individuals (such as those with leukemia, severe combined immunodeficiency
- those with persistent asthma
Common Signs And Symptoms of RSV
As mentioned earlier, RSV shares a lot with the common cold in terms of how it manifests itself. What’s more, the spread of the virus responsible for this illness spreads the same way that a common cold does. With that in mind, avoiding symptomatic people is a must.
Usually, when a person comes down with a case of RSV, these following symptoms are present:
- colds
- cough
- coryza (inflammation of the nasal passages)
- runny nose
- conjuntivitis (red eyes)
- fever
- wheezing
When these symptoms are typically present, this may be a sign that your child is probably only suffering from a mild case of RSV. Much like the RSV symptoms adults experience, these symptoms are manageable and should not cause so much trouble for your child. If anything, it may just make them feel unpleasant and uncomfortable for a while.
However, there are a set of common signs and symptoms of RSV that may be a little more concerning if observed in your child. These symptoms would be the following:
- apnea (or when your breathing stops while you sleep)
- grunting after each breath
- rapid breathing
- difficulty breathing
- breathing with accessory muscles (such as when you would see your child’s neck muscles and stomach muscles moving more during breathing)
- retractions (where the skin between your child’s ribs gets “sucked in” during breathing
If you’ve ever experienced a case of pneumonia, you may notice that these symptoms are similar to that. If these are observed in your child, this may mean that they’re suffering a much more serious case of RSV. As such, you may want to act fast and bring your child to a healthcare provider as soon as possible to manage this.
Should I Worry About RSV?
At this point, you might be wondering if RSV is something you should worry about. Yes, it’s true that it’s a lot like the common cold in terms of how many people can get RSV in a year and with how it manifests itself. However, there are also cases where people can get incredibly sick from RSV and may end up dying because of it.
These don’t sound too pleasant at all, to say the least. However, despite the fact that people can die of an RSV infection, you shouldn’t necessarily view that as the end of the world if your child catches it. This is because there are still ways to ensure that your little one gets nursed back to health from an RSV infection, even if it’s a severe case.
So, should it happen to your children, try not to panic or worry as much. While it is true that it should be a cause for concern, especially if they have symptoms that mimic pneumonia, it’s something that you can still work your way out of with the right help.
If anything, the only thing you should worry about is if your child is suffering from an RSV infection and not a COVID-19 infection. As COVID is still something that’s running rampant, especially because the pandemic’s still going on, it’s important to ensure that your child’s dealing with something that’s not as bad as COVID.
Sure, there may not be a test for RSV. However, there are COVID-19 tests. So, if your child does get symptoms that mimic the common cold and may either be RSV or COVID, you can at least test for COVID and see if that’s what they have. If they don’t, then you’ll have less to worry about!
How To Treat and Prevent RSV?
Treating an RSV infection isn’t that complicated in most cases. For a typical RSV infection, the most you have to do is focus on supportive therapy. What this means is you just help your child get through their symptoms until the illness resolves. You see, RSV, much like the common cold, will eventually go away after a few days. So, it’s important to help your child get through those days.
Supportive care can include adequate hydration, managing respiratory symptoms, and managing any fevers present. Adequate hydration simply means you have to keep drinking water to help ensure you don’t get dehydrated. On the other hand, managing respiratory symptoms would be for those who may have a little more difficulty breathing. So, this would mean giving things like bronchodilators or using a nebulizer to help your child’s airways to open up and allow for more ease of breathing. Managing fevers would mean giving them something like paracetamol every four to six hours until the fever subsides.
For more serious cases, such as those who have apnea or other pneumonia-like symptoms, hospitalization may be required. However, the management would still remain supportive. The only difference is that the treatments would be more intensive, such as mechanical ventilation for children who are having a difficult time breathing on their own.
In terms of prevention, as there is no RSV vaccine. The only way to prevent contracting the Respiratory Syncytial Virus would be to practice proper hygiene and cough and cold etiquette. This means doing things like covering your mouth and nose before sneezing or coughing, washing your hands after, and avoiding contact with those who have RSV symptoms. While it might not seem like much, it can still go a long way in helping your child avoid this sickness as much as possible. If it works for preventing the spread of cough and colds, it’ll work for preventing RSV as well!
From being a commonly contracted viral illness to having a similar set of symptoms, there’s a lot that makes the Respiratory Syncytial Virus similar to the common cold. Among the list of things that make the two similar to one another, it’s severity as a disease is one of the more important commonalities. This is because the RSV is essentially not something to be worried about.
It’s true that there are cases of deaths caused by contracting the RSV. However, these are rare. What’s more, cases of RSV can be managed at home with the right management. Should the symptoms be more severe, it’s still possible to ensure that your child gets nursed back to health with the right medical attention.
With that in mind, the Respiratory Syncytial Virus isn’t something to be too afraid about. While not to be taken lightly, it’s something that your children can recover easily from. You simply need to know how to go about it. Hopefully, after going through this article, you’ll know even just a little bit more about RSV and how you can deal with it. That way, should your child ever come down with it, you’ll have some idea of what to do, making things more manageable for yourself and ensuring your child gets well as soon as possible.
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