The State of Alaska Epidemiology released a bulletin warning residents in advance to prepare for a respiratory virus that effects infants the most.
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants in the US. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 25% to 40% of children or infants exposed to RSV for the first time have signs or symptoms of bronchiolitis or pneumonia and up to 2 percent will require hospitalization. Most children hospitalized with RSV are under six months old.
Staff physician at the Section of Epidemiology for the Department of Health and Social Services Rosalyn Singleton says there are some children more likely to become infected than others.
“Young infants and especially infants with chronic medical conditions primarily heart disease and chronic lung disease and premature infants have been known to have increased risk for hospitalizations for RSV and other viruses.”
Singleton says by the time a child reaches their second birthday there is a pretty good chance they’ve had RSV. She says the concern is when infants get RSV very early on-- it can affect the child’s breathing and eating.
The RSV infection starts with a cold. However, when fast breathing or wheezing ensues that’s a sign that it’s not just a cold. Just like cold or flu season, RSV has a pattern. Singleton says RSV is most prevalent from December to May.
“In the past season, RSV didn’t really start until mid to late January and we had RSV in the state through the end of June.”
The National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition says breastfeeding is a great way to fend off RSV. There is no vaccine but the antibodies provided to the infant through breastfeeding offer protection.
The bulletin points out a specific group that is affected by the virus more than others. Rural Alaska Native children have historically been hospitalized five times more for RSV compared to other US children. Singleton says the medical community has known about this since studies were conducted in the 1990s.
“The factors that were associated with that were crowding, overcrowding, decreased education in parents was one factor that we’ve seen an increase in that factor and also lack of running water in the household.”
There is a drug, Palivizumab, which works against RSV. It’s not a vaccine but it has the antibodies in a vaccine that fight against the virus. Singleton says the shot are given to high risk infants. There are guidelines and recommendations of how much of the drug is safe for the child but it all depends on the age. For the guidelines or more information on RSV visit the Department of Health and Social Service’s website at www.dhss.alaska.gov.