Hospitals in the UK are seeing a rise in children suffering from severe respiratory infections. This includes an unseasonal surge in an infection call

In COVID's Shadow, Another Respiratory Virus Is Now Surging in Children

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2021-07-29 11:30:08

Hospitals in the UK are seeing a rise in children suffering from severe respiratory infections. This includes an unseasonal surge in an infection called the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), in children as young as two months old.

Simply put, restrictions put in place for preventing the spread of COVID-19 held back other respiratory viruses too. As many countries are lifting these restrictions, many respiratory diseases are spreading again.

RSV is a common respiratory pathogen – so common in fact that nearly all of us are infected with it by the age of two. For the vast majority of people, this virus causes a mild disease resembling a heavy cold, with runny nose and cough. These symptoms normally resolve without treatment within a week or two.

However, in approximately one in three children, RSV can cause bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the bronchioles, the smallest tubes in our lungs. This restricts the airways, and patients experience raised temperatures and difficulty breathing, often making a wheezing sound when drawing air.

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