Doctors warn families as RSV cases rise in Indiana hospitals – WISH-TV | Indianapolis News | Indiana weather

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Doctors urge parents to continue taking precautions as some viral infections are on the rise in Indiana.

RSV is a respiratory disease that normally infects children during the colder months, but doctors said the children were getting sick much earlier this year.

Rachel Peterson, a hospital pediatrician at Riley Hospital for Children, said she sees a handful of RSV patients every day, which is rare during the summer months.

The rise in illness prompted Riley to tighten hospital restrictions again.

“The increase has been quite exponential. It almost looks like we’re in the middle of winter if you look at the RSV data, ”Peterson said.

Peterson said the virus can affect people of all ages, but is more serious in young children and infants. The symptoms look like a cold, but can get severe very quickly.

“We see these children being admitted to the PICU, the pediatric ICU, filling beds there, and even our hospital and pulmonary teams,” said Peterson.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a new warning last week after seeing an increase in RSV cases in southern states. Doctors here say Indiana is not far behind. According to the CDC, this year some children may be at risk for more severe cases of RSV because they were not exposed to it during the pandemic.

The disease is responsible for 58,000 hospitalizations and 100 to 500 deaths of children under 5 each year. Peterson said things we’ve done to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, like wearing masks and social distancing, can also help slow rates of RSV.

“It’s really hard because I have kids myself and I can’t stop them from going to daycare and I’m not going to keep them away from each other. I think it’s caught everyone, including parents, off guard this summer because it’s just not normal when we see this and our guard is up, ”Peterson said.

There is no specific treatment for the virus. Peterson said that if you notice that your child’s cold is getting worse, and especially if her breathing seems to be interrupted, take her to the hospital.