RSV cases skyrocket in Delaware, hundreds of new cases confirmed in course of a week
DOVER, Del. – Cases of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) continue to climb in Delaware, skyrocketing in the past week with hundreds of new cases confirmed in children across the First State.
State health officials report that, in just a week, cases rose dramatically in Delaware. And while hospitals for the most part are managing ok when it comes to dealing with an increase of hospitalizations, the rapid surge in cases remains concerning.
“There are around 400-ish cases in the State of Delaware that are laboratory confirmed, and last week only we had 126 cases,” explained Camille Moreno-Gorrin with the Delaware Office of Infectious Diseases.
The virus is especially concerning for younger children who suffer from pre-existing health conditions or other risk factors such pre-mature birth.
“I think it’s important for parents to prepare and understand if their child is at high risk for severe disease, of course if they were pre-mature,” Moreno-Gorrin told our Rob Petree. “Things like that need to be taken into consideration, and then address it with a doctor.”
What may initially appear as a typical cold could end up turning into something more serious for those children who are at high-risk of severe illness, including infants and younger children who suffer from congenital heart disease or chronic lung disease.
“Sometimes RSV can start as a runny-nose and a mild cough, but then it evolves to wheezing and respiratory issues,” Moreno-Gorrin stated. “I think it’s important that parents watch out for those symptoms and just keep RSV on their radar that it’s out there, it’s in daycares, and in the general community as well.”
RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms including fever, cough, congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and in infants, fussiness and poor feeding. It then progresses to more severe symptoms such as fast or short breathing or wheezing, and in infants and young children, grunting noises when breathing, chest caving in during breathing, and skin turning purple or blue due to lack of oxygen.
People of any age can develop RSV, it is most common in children under the age of two and can be severe, especially for infants and older adults. Most people will recover fully from the virus in a matter of one to two weeks.
“We are managing the response to three serious respiratory viruses at once – the flu, RSV, and COVID-19 – and are significantly concerned about the impact increasing cases could have on an already strained hospital system,” said Delaware Public Health Interim Director Dr. Rick Hong. “Our primary message is stay home if you are sick. Fortunately, a vaccine is available for flu and COVID-19, and now is the time to ensure all eligible Delawareans have received these critically important immunizations including the new COVID bivalent booster to provide them with the most updated protection against circulating variants. Unfortunately, a vaccine is not available for RSV and the current increase in cases throughout Delaware and the country emphasize the need to carefully follow prevention measures for these seasonal viruses.”
Hospitals like Beebe Healthcare in Lewes are seeing an increase in pediatric patients suffering from the virus.
“We have seen an increase number of kids that have been hospitalized from RSV when compared to other years, but we are by far not at capacity from that standpoint,” explained Dr. William Chasanov, an infectious disease physician with Beebe Healthcare.
While the virus itself and the increase in cases may be concerning for a lot of parents, in most cases, health experts want to stress that this virus is typically mild.
“The majority of kids, thank goodness, just like adults, adults can also be infected with RSV, most of all of us that are infected with RSV may have mild symptoms and luckily not severe symptoms,” Dr. Chasanov stated.
There are several steps that parents can take to help keep their children safe, this includes frequent hand washing, social distancing, keeping your child home from school when they’re feeling sick, and most of the other safety precautions that have been taken over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.
