RSV spreading among children in Southern Colorado

Posted: Feb 15, 2010 7:42 PM by John Romero
Updated: Feb 15, 2010 7:42 PM

It's that time of year again when your children may catch Respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. This year it looks to be a lot more prevalent. Dr. Richard Kouri's office has already seen plenty of cases. "This is a very bad year this year." he says.

It's so bad in fact, hospitals around Southern Colorado are running out of room. "We're very busy!" says Dr. Leigh Shapleigh, a pediatrician at Memorial Hospital. "Every bed is occupied on the pediatric floor and in the pediatric intensive care unit."

It can affect anyone but hits babies and small children hardest. "It simply is a cold virus which attacks the lower airways in babies causing wheezing and coughing." says Dr. Kouri. "Some children will have some fever, some children will have no fever." adds Dr. Shapleigh. Most often it's a big brother or sister who passes it to the baby after bringing it home from school. Pediatricians say if you see the signs it's best to get your child checked right away. "They become very sleepy and they're not as active as normal. They're not able to feed normally and they're breathing very fast." explains Dr. Shapleigh, "If you see that they should be evaluated."

For more information on RSV CLICK HERE