MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The newly opened WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital is now completely full due to the surge in Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infections among young people. On MetroNews “Talkline,” Chair of the WVU Department of Pediatrics Dr. Chuck Mullett said in one day 77 children under 5-years-old tested positive for RSV, eight were admitted, but several others statewide had to be turned away.
“We have a wait list of patients who have been referred to us from ERs around the state waiting to get beds,” Mullett said. “It’s a real problem and I know it’s going on in Charleston and Huntington as well.”
Statewide, the RSV surge is also being felt at the 72-bed Hoops Family Medical Center in the Cabell Huntington Hospital.
RSV results in infections of the lungs and respiratory tract and can result in severe infection in some people, including babies under two and older adults with pre-existing conditions. Babies under tw-years-old are at the greatest risk.
“Most babies do fine, but in some it just builds up too many secretions and tightens their airways, makes it hard to breathe and to stay hydrated,” Mullett said.
According to the CDC, RSV was first identified in 1956 and is recognized as the most common childhood illness. It usually circulates in the fall and winter and this surge is expected to peak in the month of December.
“Most toddlers who catch do fine, in adults it’s just a cold,” Mullett said. “But, in babies it can settle down in their chest where their breathing passages are just smaller than they are when you’re an adult.”
In part, Dr. Mullett blames the pandemic for this outbreak. RSV cases nearly disappeared early in the pandemic due to hand washing and social distancing, but now are surging in West Virginia once again stressing doctors, nurses and the health care infrastructure.
“The moms weren’t getting infected with RSV and passing on RSV antibodies to their babies in the third trimester. The babies weren’t getting it, the toddlers weren’t getting it and the kids weren’t in daycare,” Mullett said. ” We just had a lag and know it’s payback time.”
Until the surge wanes, Dr. Mullett urges parents to wash hands often, cover coughs, clean surfaces frequently and limit time spent in contagious settings.
“We want them to keep an eye on their children and if they’re starting to work hard to breathe, if they’re bobbing their heads, shrugging their shoulders or if they see belly breathing it’s time to get them checked out with a doctor,” Mullett said.