![]() ![]() "It is not a vaccine in that it doesn't help the immune system make longer term immune protection, but it keeps giving antibody against RSV every month during those high-risk periods for those high-risk children to give them additional protection," Madhavan explained. It is administered once a month throughout the RSV season. It is an injection that can be given to premies and other babies born with certain lung or heart conditions who are at high risk for severe RSV disease. There is, however, a treatment called palivizumab that is available to high-risk infants. There is no RSV vaccine yet, although there are many in development. "Don't wait until we're in the middle of another COVID wave to get the booster," Madhavan warns. And children over six months can get any of the three available COVID-19 vaccines. The COVID bivalent boosters for people 5 and older became available in September. "If a child is under eight and has never gotten influenza vaccine before, they need two doses one month apart before getting full protection two weeks after that second dose," she added. Madhavan noted that it takes a couple of weeks for the shot's full protection to take effect. Shots - Health News How to time your flu shot for best protectionĪnyone over six months old can get the flu vaccine. "A lot of the time when people ask that question, the person on the other end really only thinks to mention anything if they've been really sick, so they don't think to mention if they've had a minor cold." But that could become a serious case of RSV for an infant or a toddler, she added. She suggested not being shy about grilling others about how they've been feeling. ![]() Health officials say handwashing, staying hydrated, keeping hands away from the face and disinfecting surfaces help to stave off RSV or keep it from becoming a serious illness.īut for those with newborns or kids under one, Madhavan said the best thing to do is to keep children away from adults who have been recently sick. What precautions can you take to avoid RSV? ![]() The next most vulnerable group are adults over 65, in whom the infection causes 14,000 deaths a year. RSV treatments in such cases can include oxygen support, suctioning, and IV fluids.Īccording to the CDC's data, each year approximately 58,000 children under 5 are hospitalized for RSV. ![]() "They have a hard time getting out that excess fluid and that's why they have trouble breathing which then that leads to problems eating and drinking," Madhavan said. The problem is that their small lungs and muscles can't muster up the power to cough up or sneeze out the increased secretions and mucus caused in their airways. But it can also cause severe bronchitis or pneumonia in very young children, particularly infants and those under the age of 5. In most cases, it will cause mild, cold-like symptoms, much as it does in the vast majority of healthy adults. Nearly all children get an RSV infection by the time they are 2 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "But for this year, it is concerning because it's still only late October and we don't know what we're going to see as we head deeper into fall and especially this winter." Why are infants and young children the most vulnerable to respiratory viruses? "My hope is that this is not the new normal," Madhavan said on Friday. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |