The holiday season is in full swing and that usually means so are the sniffles, coughs, and cold spells but doctors are warning about another virus.
Doctors at Cook Children’s Medical Center have a noticed the numbers are low for influenza, but on the rise for patients with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Last week out of 422 patients, 6 were diagnosed with influenza and 122 were diagnosed with RSV, according to Cook Children's.
With so many families coming together for this Thanksgiving, doctors have some advice. It's spread through infected fluids in the mouth and nose.
“If you have a runny nose or cough and if there’s a baby around, you need to be very careful about not being near them," said Dr. Justin Smith, a pediatrician at Cook Children's. "Also people need to wash their hands a lot and don’t kiss babies near the head or face."
RSV can lead to a disease in babies called Bronchiolitis, which causes a runny nose, coughing, wheezing, dehydration, difficulty breathing, and difficulty eating.
