RSV season: here’s what parents need to know

It’s respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, season, and doctors are urging parents to get their children vaccinated and be aware of the serious symptoms.

RSV is a common virus that occurs every year, with the peak viral season beginning around late fall through winter. People suffering from RSV may experience a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, wheezing, fever and feeling tired. Babies may be irritable, have trouble breathing, and have decreased appetite and energy.

Although the virus usually causes cold-like symptoms, some infants, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems may experience more severe illness.

“Infants and older adults are at increased risk of serious medical complications,” Dr. Chuck Hui, chief of infectious diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), told CTV Morning Live.

“Some children, especially young babies, can get a lower respiratory tract infection that causes difficulty breathing and they need to see a doctor, sometimes they are hospitalized, and sometimes they are sent to the intensive care unit.”

Almost 100 percent of babies will have contracted the virus by age two, Hui said. He says the main indicator that an RSV infection is more serious is if the child has difficulty breathing.

“It’s certainly concerning,” he said.

Beginning this fall, families with high-risk infants and children under 24 months of age will have access to a new RSV vaccine called Beyfortus. Hui advises babies to get vaccinated to protect against the risk of serious illnesses that require hospitalization and intensive care unit admission.

“It’s really interesting,” he said.

“This will not only benefit the individual patient, but it will also increase the benefits for the system as a whole—reducing emergency room visits, reducing hospitalizations, especially at a time when we’re seeing a lot of pressure.”

The RSV vaccine is also available to pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy who give birth shortly before or during the RSV season.

According to Ottawa Public Health, getting vaccinated during pregnancy helps your immune system produce antibodies that protect your baby from RSV from birth to 6 months.

Both immunization options are covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan.

Parents can access the vaccine for their child through their primary care provider. Those who do not have a family doctor can make an appointment through CHEO’s Kids Come First clinic.

According to Ottawa Public Health, RSV can be treated at home with over-the-counter acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever and pain. Do not give ibuprofen to children under six months of age without checking with a doctor, and never give aspirin to children.