Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with MedImmune and Latina Bloggers Connect, however all opinions are my own.
Learning the #ABCsofRSV to Keep Our Kids Healthy
“Two-thirds of Hispanic mothers have never heard of RSV, and one in five Hispanic moms only becomes aware of RSV once their child has contracted the virus.” I was one of those five mothers. I’m here to share with you so you won’t be and you can spread the knowledge about learning about RSV with the #ABCsofRSV to keep our kids healthy. I mean look at these boys. My heart breaks every time they become ill.
In 2006 our journey with the Army began as a newly formed family of three. Aramis our first child was only two months in November of that year, when we moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. As a first time mom I made sure to always bundle him up and keep him warm when we would take him out in the cold. The following month of December he began being fussy and having coughing fits. I took him into the post clinic and they diagnosed him with an ear ache. The symptoms only got worst and I remember calling my husband in tears, “The baby isn’t getting better, he’s getting worse. What should I do?” We decided to take him into the pediatric emergency in town, at the local hospital. After a few tests the doctor came in to tell us he had RSV. As new parents we had no idea what RSV was, why or anything about it. Luckily our son’s condition wasn’t too critical; the doctor informed us had we waited to bring him in he would have required hospitalization. Can you imagine the rush of emotions I felt? I felt like it was my fault and I could have prevented it and then of course I thought “Ay Dios que va decir mi mama?!” (Oh Lord what is my mother going to say?!) Last thing you want is your mom getting on to you.. All that mattered was Aramis had been given meds and he was already showing signs of his symptoms improving.
As a new parent I felt guilty that I didn’t know what RSV was. In this post I hope to teach you the ABC’s of RSV and how if you didn’t know about it before, you’ll leave more knowledgeable about Respiratory Syncital Virus.
How can you prevent RSV? Read the following information and keep in mind the ABC’s of RSV.
A is for Awareness:
RSV is a common seasonal virus, contracted by nearly all children by the age of two, and typically causes mild to moderate cold-like symptoms in healthy, full-term babies. Preterm infants, however, are born with undeveloped lungs and immature immune systems that put them at heightened risk for developing severe RSV disease, often requiring hospitalization.
• RSV occurs in epidemics each year, typically from November through March, though it can vary by geography and year-to-year
• RSV disease is the leading cause of hospitalization for babies during their first year of life in the United States, with approximately 125,000 hospitalizations and up to 400 infant deaths each year. *How lucky were we? We were almost a part of this statistic.
• RSV disease is responsible for one of every 13 pediatrician visits and one of every 38 trips to the ER in children under the age of five.
B is for Babies:
• Premature babies—defined as those born before 37 weeks gestation—are most at risk for developing severe RSV disease because they have underdeveloped lungs and fewer antibodies to fight the virus than babies born full term.
• Amongst Hispanics, the preterm birth rate has grown six percent over the last decade. Currently one in eight Hispanic babies is born premature and it is likely that high prematurity rates are a reason for increased risk of RSV within Hispanic communities.
C is for Contagious:
This is definitely one of the things that scares me about RSV. How easily another child can “catch” it. I believe I heard of RSV more this year, than I have in the past. Very scary!
RSV is very contagious and can be spread easily through touching, sneezing and coughing. Additionally, the virus can live on the skin and surfaces for hours. Learn the symptoms of severe RSV disease and contact your child’s pediatrician immediately if your child exhibits one or more of the following:
• Persistent coughing or wheezing.
• Bluish color around the mouth or fingernails.
• Rapid, difficult, or gasping breaths –This had to have been the scariest moments for myself as a new mom to see my infant of a couple months battling for a breath.
• Fever [especially if it is over 100.4°F (rectal) in infants under 3 months of age]
I am so proud to be a part of this campaign and to share this information. It’s so important that you aren’t in the same shoes I was in less than 7 years ago. I have to tell you that last month Ezra was actually diagnosed with RSV. Thank God, since Aramis’ diagnosis I have made sure to watch their symptoms anytime they become ill and it was caught very early. His bout with RSV was easier than Aramis’.
Check out this awesome infographic:
For more information about RSV and prevention, visit www.RSVprotection.com. Please also use the hash tag#ABCsofRSV when tweeting.
Question:
Did you know about RSV prior to reading this post?
I’ve never even heard of RSV! Thank you for sharing this- it’s good to know the signs and symptoms as I have lots of friends with babies!
This is something every parent needs to know about. When my oldest was a baby, his pediatrician thought he had RSV, but it turned out to just be a respiratory infection.
These are great tips for new parents to read. I had three kids and none if them were ever super sick thank God!
I learned about RSV a few years ago while working on a campaign. I think these are fantastic tips, based on what I know! Thank you so much for sharing!
My kids have never had it, but I have friends whose children have and it’s not good!! Thanks for the info on this and educating people.
I had no idea it was that contagious! My gosh, that’s scary. Poor little guy; what a frightening time!
I didn’t even know anything about RSV until my second baby. Thankfully, we haven’t had to deal with it. So scary!
I’m actually surprised that I have never heard of RSV. I have taken my daughter to the doctor many times for bad colds and coughs but they never educated me on this. These are great tips and the infographic is very helpful in teaching parents what RSV is and what we can do to help prevent it.
I had heard of it. Mine never had it, though.
So scary! I’m so glad that I read this, I’ve never even heard of RSV! Thank you for the information!
My kids never had it thankfully, but I did have a family member who’s child did. It was a horrible ordeal for the whole family!
It is important to share information like this with other mothers. Having knowledge makes it easier to deal with all kinds of things.
My nephew was hospitalized for a few months with this when he was an infant. Thank you for sharing this information.
Wow! I have seen RSV mentioned before but had no clue what it was. This is a great campaign to be a part of. Knowledge is power!
I know some parents whose children got this. It’s a scary sickness to have and more parents should know about it.
I had never heard of this either until a friend’s baby was diagnosed with it and put in the hospital. It is amazing that parents are not made aware of this by the pediatrician at the baby’s first checkup
Thank you so much for this. One of my co-workers just had a niece hospitalized with RSV.
I have known about it for a long time. My brother had it when he was just a baby – about 10 months old. I was almost 11 then but I can remember him being in the hospital for 4 days and having to spend lots of time in the croup tent.
Thanks for this! My little one had it back in Dec because we were exposed to it and they didn’t tell us. Lots of good info in here.
I did know about RSV before reading this. However, this is all great information. Thank you for sharing your story. We have been lucky to avoid RSV in our house.
I had never heard of RSV before. It sounds scary!
Thank you for sharing this….I feel like everyone needs to be aware! My girls are one and I’m so worried they will get it.
RSV is so very scary. I’m paranoid about it. Thanks for doing your part to make others aware of it’s dangers.
Great info sharing with my friend that recently had her first baby – thanks
Great information. RSV sounds so benign but it can be so scary when diagnosed.
Great article – so glad my babies didn’t have this when they were little.
Infographics are such a nice way to lay out the facts in a succinct but still thorough way, and this one was terrific. Thank you for sharing the facts on RSV.
This is so important for everyone to know! Thanks for sharing!!
I had no idea about RSV before reading this post… It an important subject to earn… TY for the information and infographics.
RSV sounds like a very terrifying disease for little ones 🙁 I’m lucky that my daughter did not catch it when she was a baby, but a couple of her little friends did. Thank you for sharing this information with us so we can be better prepared in the future!
It’s so important to generate awareness about RSV. I have a friend whose baby was just in the PICU because she had RSV. She is doing well now, but it was really scary!
Thank you for sharing this! I didn’t know anything about RSV before reading your post. Very informative.
I’ve never heard of RSV before. I’m going to forward this to a few of my friends who have kids.
Great mnemonic for remembering the symptoms of RSV! It’s important to know about it!