Australia - Flu epidemic hits babies

[Snowy Owl]

Flu epidemic hits babies

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,19874815-661,00.html

THOUSANDS of babies have been treated for respiratory syncytial virus at Australia's biggest hospitals in the past few weeks.

Authorities have warned parents to quarantine their babies from coughing and sneezing children to protect them from a respiratory disease epidemic. Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital has treated 451 babies for chest infections this month.


Doctors said the virus, commonly spread by exposure to children suffering the sniffles, could be deadly for small babies.


To stop the virus spreading, people with the flu should wash their hands with soap and running water after coughing and sneezing, consider wearing a flu mask; and stay at home and away from crowded, public places.
Parents of babies should ask family and friends not to visit when ill.
Authorities said families should see their local GP about vaccinations before the flu hit.

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[Mingus]

Re: Australia - Flu epidemic hits babies

The respiratory syncytial virus is well known to be the main respiratory virus responsible for hospitalisation in children.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/respiratory/rsvfeat.htm
Clinical features: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants and children under 1 year of age. Illness begins most frequently with fever, runny nose, cough, and sometimes wheezing. During their first RSV infection, between 25% and 40% of infants and young children have signs or symptoms of bronchiolitis or pneumonia, and 0.5% to 2% require hospitalization. Most children recover from illness in 8 to 15 days. The majority of children hospitalized for RSV infection are under 6 months of age. RSV also causes repeated infections throughout life, usually associated with moderate-to-severe cold-like symptoms; however, severe lower respiratory tract disease may occur at any age, especially among the elderly or among those with compromised cardiac, pulmonary, or immune systems.

Typically, each time you get this virus, milder the infection will be.

 

[Ruby Fameth]

Re: Australia - Flu epidemic hits babies

Our son had RSV as an infant; he began to wheeze one day. We got him to the Ped, and he was given a nebulizer treatment in the office. They sent him home with Ventolin to help him breathe more easily. That stuff gave him noticeable tremors, but he recovered without hospitalization.

How well-equipped is the hospital to manage this increase in sick babies? I know it's not the nightmare scenario of AI, but it may be helpful in assessing their general readiness for the unexpected.