Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in Kids
Ray Smith
/ Categories: 2022, 2022

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in Kids

Here at SVMC and the surrounding area, we are seeing the expected annual increase in pediatric respiratory illnesses, including Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV), influenza, COVID, and rhinoviruses in children. Many places across the country are experiencing a big spike in RSV and other respiratory illnesses among kids and we expect the same.

As parents and caregivers, here’s some helpful information:

  • RSV causes cold-like symptoms similar to many other viruses, including fever, cough, and runny nose.
  • RSV can be more severe in certain patients, particularly those who are under 3 months old, are premature or have underlying conditions affecting their immune system or heart defects. These children may be more likely to be hospitalized but less than 5% of all children with RSV require hospitalization.
  • Avoid visits to the doctor or emergency department, unless your child has concerning symptoms such as trouble breathing or drinking. Some parents expect to get tested in the same way we used to test for COVID, but testing is not indicated in most cases, because the outcome doesn’t affect the treatment plan.
  • There are no treatments for RSV but some children may benefit from asthma type treatments such as nebulizers or inhalers. This is a small portion and this is not needed for most kids.
  • There are no home medications for RSV in children, but there are many things you can do to make your child more comfortable. Over the counter (OTC) cough medications are not recommended for children under 6 years of age. There are some non-medicated “herbal” over the counter medications for younger children but these have not been sufficiently studied for broad recommendation and are unlikely to make a significant difference in symptoms.
  • Rest, good hydration, nasal suction, cool mist vaporizer, honey (for children over 1 years old), and steam baths can help relieve cough and congestion.
  • If your child is experiencing severe symptoms (significant discomfort, prolonged symptoms), call your pediatrician’s office and don’t hesitate to bring them to the emergency department if they are having difficulty breathing or staying hydrating.
  • To minimize the effects of other illnesses, we recommend that parents vaccinate their children who are 6 months and older against the flu and COVID. Children 5 and older who have been previously vaccinated against COVID are now recommended to get the bivalent (“updated”) booster against COVID which can be done at the SVMC COVID Resource Center.
  • Stay away from sick people, particularly infants, away from sick people. American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations are to keep your child at home from school and all other activities when the child has a fever or acute sick symptoms interfering with play/participation.

RSV can be scary but most children can get through it without significant problems and back to play within a week!

Meghan Gunn, MD, is a pediatrician at SVMC Pediatrics and the chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington.

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Home Office How To

Did you know that many sources of chronic pain start in a poorly arranged office? Carpal tunnel, pinched nerves, overuse injuries can often be traced to chairs being positioned improperly or important tools being positioned outside easy reach. While reaching or straining once or twice wouldn't hurt us at all, doing so repeatedly day after day can cause painful and lasting injuries.

As an occupational health physician at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, one of my responsibilities is to help employees of SVMC and other companies who have workplace injuries and recommend the adjustments they should make.

During a spike in work-from-home arrangements, I have heard about friends’ and family members' work-from-home set-ups. Some are working from laptops on their couches. Others are set up at kitchen tables. We know that their cats walk across their keyboards and their kids interrupt. Especially since Governor Scott has just indicated that remote workers will likely be the last to return to the traditional workplace, it's time to get our home office arrangements figured out.

That's why I would like to share the important details you need to arrange a healthful workspace and encourage all to invest the time (and sometimes a little bit of money) needed to implement them. Learning these points is key to avoiding injuries, as continued work-from-home policies, where feasible, will help maintain appropriate distancing needed to decrease the spread of COVID-19.

An adjustable chair is the first and most important component of an office set-up. Office chairs include crucial lumbar support and encourage good posture. When your forearms are resting on your desk or table, adjust the chair height up or down until your arms form a right angle. This is an important step in avoiding wrist pain and carpal tunnel, two of the most common office injuries. If, when your arms are in the correct position, your feet are not touching the floor, employ a footstool.

Position your monitor an arm’s length away. (If you can't see the screen from this distance, better go get an eye exam!) And raise the screen so that the top of the screen is eye level. This, too, will encourage good posture.

If you use two monitors, positioning them properly depends on how you use them. If you use them equally, the dividing line between them should be right in front of you. If you use one primarily and the other secondarily, position the more dominant screen directly in front of you. If you use a laptop, consider investing in a riser and an additional keyboard needed to raise the screen to eye level.

Put all of your other tools, including your mouse and phone, within easy reach. If you use the phone a lot, consider investing in a headset.

The only other recommendation I make is to stretch every 15 – 20 minutes. A list of helpful office-oriented stretches is available here. And every hour, be sure to get up and take a short walk or standing stretch.

If you follow these recommendations at home, you will be much more comfortable and are likely to be more productive, too, all while maintaining the social distance we need to keep COVID-19 infections low throughout this next phase of the pandemic. Most importantly, you will save yourself the pain and discomfort of office injury no matter where you're working.

Mark Zimpfer, MD, is a physician at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center's Occupational Health practice. 

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