RSV Symptoms and Prevention | Keeping Your Child Healthy

RSV is a common seasonal virus that will affect almost all babies by the age of 2 years old. Being in daycare can increase the risk of getting RSV because of how contagious this disease is. Think about it.. all of those toys that are being shared, the sharing of tables for eating time, high chairs and even their napping areas are all within close quarters of each other.

So many of my friends are experiencing this horrible disease with their children, a few of them even being hospitalized. RSV has been known to be responsible for over 125,000 hospitalizations each year and up to 500 infant deaths.

Prevention of RSV is so important and I hope that my tips during the winter months will help keep your family healthy.

Should your child have any of the RSV symptoms, it’s best to keep them home and speak to their pediatrician. There is no treatment for RSV and it can be spread very rapidly.

Here are some of the symptoms to look out for:

• Coughing or wheezing that doesn’t stop
• Fast breathing
• Spread out nostrils or a caved in chest when trying to breathe
• Bluish color around the mouth
• Fever – Especially if over 100.4 F in infant under the age of 3 months

There are steps that can be taken to prevent the spread of RSV:

• Washing of hands and your child’s hands
• Ask others to wash their hands
• Keep toys, clothes, blankets and sheets clean
• Avoid crowds and other sick children during RSV season

I know RSV can sound scary. While I don’t want to scare you about RSV, I do want to educate you on prevention and what to look for. RSV is known to spread during the months of November through March and while majority of babies will have some form of RSV at some point, they may not all display the same symptoms. Premature babies are most at risk for RSV, upon speaking with your child’s pediatrician they will evaluate their risk of RSV and provide you with preventative measures.

For more information about RSV please visit : http://www.rsvprotection.com/

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of MedImmune and I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.