"I have a fever again" and "I have a worse cough". This virus is spreading out of season this year! Be careful -

“I have a fever again”

“This time it’s a severe cough.”

“It’s like pumping bellows, and a bit like asthma.”

…

recent

Many parents

Being "scared" by another virus

Many patients appeared

Repeated low-grade fever, cough, wheezing, etc.

Diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

On social media

Many parents share their experiences of illness

On social media, many parents shared their children's recent experience of being infected with respiratory syncytial virus, lamenting that the virus is so aggressive and makes people uneasy.

According to The Paper, cases of RSV infection in children in Shanghai and other places have been very common recently.

Cao Qing, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the National Children's Medical Center and Shanghai Children's Medical Center affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, said in an interview with reporters: "The proportion of children infected with RSV has exceeded that of COVID-19 and influenza, and half of them have wheezing symptoms."

However, relevant experts said that RSV is a self-limiting disease and can generally be treated symptomatically, so there is no need to panic.

What is respiratory syncytial virus?

Sun Xuemei, a pediatrician at Beijing Children's Hospital Shunyi Women and Children's Center, said that respiratory syncytial virus is the most important viral pathogen causing acute lower respiratory tract infection in children under 5 years old worldwide. It seriously endangers children's health, especially premature infants, infants with congenital heart disease or primary immunodeficiency. The main epidemic season is related to the temperature of the region. In northern China, it is mostly prevalent from October to May of the following year.

Early childhood syncytial virus infection is mostly confined to the upper respiratory tract, with clinical manifestations of nasal congestion, runny nose, cough and hoarseness. Fever may also occur. Children may develop lower respiratory tract infection, mainly manifested as bronchiolitis or pneumonia, which is more common in infants and children under 2 years old.

In addition to respiratory diseases, syncytial virus infection can lead to other systemic diseases, such as myocardial damage, right heart failure, fatal interstitial myocarditis, severe arrhythmias and even heart failure, epilepsy, etc.

In addition, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are at high risk of infection. After infection, the incubation period is usually 2-8 days, and the clinical manifestations are mainly respiratory tract infection symptoms. Early infection is mostly limited to the upper respiratory tract, with clinical manifestations such as nasal congestion, runny nose, cough and hoarseness.

How to prevent and treat RSV?

In terms of transmission routes of RSV, both symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers can spread the virus, usually through the following routes:

The first is contact transmission, such as when the nasopharyngeal mucosa or ocular mucosa comes into contact with secretions or contaminants containing the virus;

The second is close contact with the patient and causing him to cough or sneeze.

Regarding the treatment after RSV infection, Wang Xinyu, deputy director of the infectious department of Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, told reporters: "It should be said that there is currently no antiviral drug approved for clinical use for RSV, and the current treatment is mainly aimed at relieving symptoms. The treatment for bronchiolitis caused by RSV infection in children is the same as that for children with bronchiolitis caused by other pathogens, mainly supportive treatment and providing fluid replacement and respiratory support when necessary."

Why does RSV infection occur during unusual seasons?

RSV infection is widely prevalent around the world. Affected by factors such as geographical location, temperature and humidity, RSV infection is more common in winter and spring in my country. In the past, the number of children infected with RSV gradually increased in winter. However, this year, starting from April, RSV infection has increased day by day, and some cases of the disease have lasted for a long time.

The reason for this abnormal phenomenon may be related to self-protection during the epidemic . By wearing masks, isolating at home, and frequently washing hands and disinfecting, the transmission routes of RSV have been cut off and the infection rate of RSV has been reduced. At the same time, due to the reduced stimulation of contact with pathogens, children's immunity to the virus is generally reduced. With the effective control of the domestic new crown epidemic and the change in prevention and control policies, the scope of public activities has expanded and people have gathered, resulting in an increase in RSV infection and a counter-seasonal epidemic.

Children infected with RSV mainly show symptoms of cough, wheezing and fever. Most of the cases are mild and will improve with routine symptomatic treatment. If a child has a fever for more than 3 days, obvious cough and wheezing , or even flaring of the nostrils, rapid breathing, groaning, chest retraction when breathing, or has symptoms such as poor spirits, irritability, difficulty feeding or dehydration, parents need to send their children to the doctor in time.

Source: Beijing Daily WeChat official account, partly compiled from The Paper, Shanghai View News, and Health Times.