Warning! Don’t let strangers kiss your baby
THERE is a five-month-old baby who has been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) because he got RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) from a stranger’s kiss.
An outbreak of RSV usually begins in the rainy season and for adults the symptom is like an ordinary fever.
However, children, especially under three years of age, will develop a serious respiratory ailment with a chance of this endangering their lives.
Moreover, RSV is a virus so cannot be killed with any medicine. The only thing that can be done is to take the patient to the hospital as soon as possible for a close examination and treatment in the ICU.
According to Kidshealth.org, RSV is highly contagious, and spreads through droplets containing the virus when someone coughs or sneezes.
It also can live on surfaces (such as countertops or doorknobs) and on hands and clothing, so it can easily spread when a person touches something contaminated.
RSV can spread rapidly through schools and childcare centers. Babies often get it when older kids carry the virus home from school and pass it to them.
Almost all kids are infected with RSV at least once by the time they are two years old, Kidshealth.org added.
CAPTION:
Pretty Amelia is sick but is being well taken care of. Photo: Donnie Ray Jones
By Panu Sangdeeching
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