As if parents don’t already have enough to worry about with COVID-19, doctors are now warning about another virus that should be on our radar this summer?respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
RSV is a common respiratory virus (it existed pre-COVID) that resembles a common cold with symptoms like nasal congestion, runny nose and coughing. Pre-pandemic, most kids would experience their first case of the virus (having it once doesn’t grant permanent immunity) within their first two years of life and then build immunity to it over time and exposure. About 2.7 million kids worldwide come down with the virus in a typical year, but new research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) shows the virus virtually disappeared during the pandemic with only 239 positive tests recorded in Canada between August 29, 2020, and May 8, 2021, versus 18,860 positive tests between August 25, 2019, and May 2, 2020. While it’s likely that strict physical distancing measures have led fewer babies and young children to encounter the respiratory virus over the course of the pandemic, both Australia and the United States have seen a resurgence of RSV with the relaxing of physical distancing protocols. In Canada, cases usually spike each year from late fall to early spring, but researchers say we could see an RSV resurgence as early as the next few weeks as protocols are lifted and reopening plans move forward.
Is RSV serious"
The virus is typically mild (...