RSV

Just thought I would post so info about RSV. Many of our friends and family wonder why we are so careful about bring Brie out in public. Well this is why:

Some facts about RSV and prevention:

The Season: In the northern hemisphere RSV outbreaks begin in November, peak in January or February and end at the end of March but may last through April In the Midwest US, the RSV season tends to last through April
The infection: RSV is highly contagious After RSV infection, many children will have recurrent wheezing which usually diminishes in later years Almost all children are infected at least once by age 2 and re-infected throughout life RSV infection in older children and adults manifests as an upper respiratory tract illness such as the common cold, runny nose, etc In high-risk infants and immunocompromised patients, or elderly in can be a much more serious infection involving the lower respiratory tract
The epidemiology: It is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children worldwide It is the most common cause of hospitalization in the US in children 1 yrs of age Majority of children requiring hospitalization are 6 months of age leading to almost 2,500 deaths per year National hospital costs annually from RSV are $400 million
Risk of infecting others: RSV can persist on environmental surfaces such as furniture for many hours and for a half-hour or longer on hands The incubation period ranges from 2-8 days (so if you caught it and don’t have symptoms yet, you don’t realize you have it, but can still pass it on especially to high-risk infants) Viral shedding may continue for 3-4 weeks especially in young infants and immunocompromised patients
Prevention: Careful hand hygiene, avoiding sick contacts, avoiding crowds, avoiding public places such as grocery stores, limiting visitors and avoiding school aged children are the most effective methods in preventing infection All high-risk infants and ALL CONTACTS should be immunized against influenza (don’t forget to get your flu shots) Synagis does not prevent infection, but it reduces the severity of infection