Kentucky Children’s Hospital shifting resources to handle surge in RSV cases

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Hospitals throughout the nation are seeing a surge in sufferers with RSV, a typical respiratory illness.

To maintain up, Kentucky Kids’s Hospital is shifting all of its assets, increasing beds into overflow areas and growing capability in emergency rooms.

“RSV is respiratory syncytial virus. It’s a chilly virus,” stated Dr. Lindsay Ragsdale. “We’ve been seeing this for years and years.”

Whereas the virus itself is widespread, the timing of the surge in circumstances we’re at the moment seeing throughout the nation shouldn’t be so widespread.

“Right here at UK, we began seeing constructive RSVs in Might, which is exceptional,” Dr. Ragsdale stated. “Usually, it’s a January to March sort of sickness. So, actually, that seasonal winter factor shouldn’t be occurring. We’re seeing it now greater than ever.”

Specialists say we’ve got not but hit the height surge in Kentucky, so circumstances of RSV will probably proceed to rise.

“As soon as we see these numbers come down, we’ll all really feel just a little bit higher, however, at the moment, continues to extend,” Dr. Ragsdale stated. “We see 20-30 RSV children on daily basis admitted to our hospital. That’s a big quantity.”

Jessica McKendree’s two-year-old son just lately bought over RSV.

“It was simply going round his preschool, he goes to at least one close by,” McKendree stated. “He didn’t have it too unhealthy. It was simply congestion and never enjoyable, however he’s sufficiently old that it’s not as harmful as infants getting it.”

RSV causes delicate, cold-like signs, however may be harmful in some youngsters, particularly in infants.

“Their nasal passages and their airways are smaller so when you’ve gotten tons of this secretion and snot being made, it sort of clogs up the locations that they should breathe,” Dr. Ragsdale stated.

To assist forestall RSV, medical doctors suggest educating youngsters the significance of washing their palms and avoiding sneezing or coughing into their palms.

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