BOISE, Idaho — It is that time of year again – children are coughing, sneezing and blowing their noses.
Kenny Bramwell, St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital medical director, said they are seeing more children sick with respiratory illnesses in October than usual.
One virus in particular is in headlines across the country. Respiratory Syncytial Illness (RSV) is spreading among young children in certain regions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
“I think people are getting particularly concerned about it this year,” Bramwell said. “It seems to be a really potent strain and is affecting the small infants perhaps more than other years.”
Despite surges in some states, Bramwell said RSV numbers in Idaho are still fairly low. The high volume of respiratory illnesses St. Luke’s Children’s is seeing is more a combination of several different virus – not one in particular.
RSV is most often seen in infants and toddlers, Bramwell said.
“One of the problems is their nasal passages get completely swollen shut,” Bramwell said. “If they have totally congested nose openings, they can’t breathe, and they cry.”
In addition to swelling, he said infants can become dehydrated and their oxygen levels get low. While it is not typically fatal, a child also can develop pneumonia or bronchiolitis as a result.
Last year, Idaho’s RSV season started during the summer. During COVID-19, Bramwell said they did not get one case of RSV for about 15 months, but the virus soon came back, and Idaho had a particularly big year once people stopped wearing masks.
Bramwell said the Gem State is seeing fewer cases this fall because the season has not started.
“[The Department of Health] is monitoring things,” Bramwell said. “But they haven’t seen enough cases for us to say, ‘okay, it’s RSV season.’”
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare data posted on Oct. 21 shows 470 RSV tests in Central District Health, which includes Ada, Elmore, Boise and Valley counties. 14 of those tests came back positive – a 3% positivity rate.
Bramwell said RSV is a big reason that children’s hospitals run out of beds. St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital has about 100 beds.
While they are not at capacity right now, Bramwell said that can quickly change depending on staffing and the severity of illness spreading.
Bramwell encouraged families to wash hands frequently and stay away from sick people – that includes keeping your children home if they start developing symptoms.
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