RSV Prevention and World Prematurity Day

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for MedImmune. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

It's that time of year again, when it seems like every kid has a runny nose and the sniffles, the occasional cough, and all of the other cold symptoms.  No, it isn't the change in the weather making everyone sick - but rather, everyone is staying indoors because it's much cooler outside. Germs are getting passing from one kid to the next, and there's almost a guarantee that even though your kid might not have been sick this morning, they'll probably come home with a snotty nose from school.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV for short, is a common virus that almost every kid experiences at sometime before the age of 2.  In a healthy, full-term baby, or in toddlers, the symptoms are very similar to a cold and may include:

• coughing
• sneezing
• stuffy or runny nose
• mild sore throat
• fever

That's normal, healthy kids.  But did you know that 1 out of 8 babies born in the United States are born prematurely?  November 17th is World Prematurity Day and so I think it's important to share any information I can to help keep the itty bitties safe and healthy.

Both of my babies were born early - my first at 37 weeks and my second at 36 weeks.  My baby girl only weighed in at 4.8 pounds when they let her come home from the hospital.  That's her, over on the left.  She was so tiny and so fragile!

That's why this really hits home for me - I was always so worried about keeping my babies healthy.  Premature births mean that a baby's lungs aren't fully developed, and what may be a cold-like virus for your healthy little guy could be dangerous to someone that he passes it along to.  

If your baby experiences any of the following symptoms, severe RSV may be the culprit, and you should contact their pediatrician immediately:

• Persistent cough or wheezing
• Bluish color around their mouth or fingernails
• Rapid, difficult, or gasping breaths
• Fever (especially if their temperature is over 100.4 rectally in babies under 3 months)

RSV  is the top cause for infant hospitalizations.  About 125,000 babies under a year old are admitted to the hospital each year with RSV and somewhere around 200 will die because of this disease. There's no cure for it.

That's why practicing excellent virus prevention is crucial.  While your little one may not be at risk for complications from RSV, it is highly contagious and is spread through touching, sneezing, and coughing.  The virus can live on skin and other surfaces for hours.  To keep RSV from spreading, all parents should:

• Make sure everyone washes their hands
• Keep toys, blankets, sheets, and clothes clean
• Avoid crowded places, and other young children, during RSV season
• Never let anyone smoke around your baby
• Avoid people who are sick or have recently been sick.

Know the facts, and help keep little ones healthy!  For more information, visit www.RSVPrevention.com