Yahoo! News: Pediatricians weigh in on 'unprecedented' surge of RSV
Unusual for this time of year, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is hitting children hard across the south including at Cook Children's. The medical center recorded 184 cases last week, continuing the climb of infections that first started in April.
Speaking with Yahoo! News this week, Jason Terk, M.D., called the summer surge 'unprecedented.'
“If you look at typical RSV, it’s a type of illness that we see usually starting in late fall into the wintertime and then goes away usually by late winter, early spring," he told the online publication.
Dr. Terk, a pediatrician at Cook Children's Pediatrics in Keller, says serious cases of RSV can occur but are rare.
“Most of the time RSV causes an illness that is entirely manageable at home with use of the usual things that we recommend for viral respiratory infections — nasal saline, suctioning and humidification,” he says. “If there’s a worsening of the respiratory status or they have a hard time breathing, then they need to be seen by their physician.”
