Learn about rsv virus (respiratory syncytial virus) that causes pneumonia in children

The article was professionally consulted with - Specialist I, Resident Doctor Dang Thi Ngoan - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.

RSV virus (respiratory syncytial virus) is one of the common causes of respiratory diseases (bronchiolitis, pneumonia) in children. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent RSV virus and specific treatment, so it is very important to detect the disease early to have a treatment plan and timely care.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a virus that infects the lungs and respiratory tract, causing bronchiolitis, pneumonia. The RSV virus enters the body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. This virus is easily transmitted from person to person through infected respiratory secretions such as coughing, sneezing or direct contact such as shaking hands. RSV virus can survive for many hours on objects such as children's furniture, toys. Children are at risk of contracting the virus if they accidentally touch objects that have the virus on them and put them in their mouths. The disease develops strongly in winter - spring and spring - summer.
Most children get respiratory syncytial virus before 2 years of age. In addition, the RSV virus can also infect adults. After being infected with RSV virus, it can take 2-8 days for a person to show symptoms. In healthy adults and children, symptoms of RSV infection are usually mild, like the common cold, and home-care measures can be used to ease discomfort. However, respiratory syncytial virus infection can also be serious in some cases, especially in premature infants and infants with underlying health problems, causing bronchiolitis or pneumonia, respiratory failure, and respiratory failure. Rapid breathing, very dangerous for children. In addition, the disease can also become more serious in the elderly, people with heart or lung conditions, or with weakened immune systems.

Children infected with RSV virus often have symptoms such as:
Shortness of breath: Rapid breathing accompanied by symptoms of chest indrawing; Wheezing and runny nose; Cough a lot; High fever; mild sore throat; Ear hurt; Often fussy, not agile, tired, not sleeping well; Skipping or sucking poorly, eating poorly; Apnea for 15-20 seconds, common in premature babies and children with a history of apnea; Signs of severe dehydration include: Crying without tears, not urinating for 6 hours, sunken eyes, wrinkled skin. RSV respiratory syncytial virus infection sometimes causes complications of bronchiolitis or pneumonia with manifestations:
Shortness of breath, breathing faster than usual; Wheeze; The cough gets worse, the child may choke or vomit due to the intense coughing; Fatigue, listlessness, loss of appetite, decreased interest. Most RSV infections are not life-threatening. However, if a child shows signs of serious illness such as difficulty breathing, high fever or purple lips and nails, parents need to take the child to the emergency room immediately.

Clinical examination and determining the time of infection season of the year. During the exam, the doctor will use a stethoscope to listen to the lungs, check for wheezing or other unusual sounds; Painless transdermal measurement (oxygen pulse) to check if the blood oxygen saturation level is lower than normal; Blood tests to check the white blood cell count or look for the presence of bacteria, viruses or other microorganisms; Testing for viruses in nasal secretions or respiratory secretions; X-ray to check for pneumonia.

Most children who are infected with RSV and have mild, uncomplicated bronchiolitis can be cared for at home by following these guidelines:
Clean the child's nose with nasal drops with 2-3 drops of saline physiological and then aspirate mucus in the nose; Use a humidifier in the room to keep the air moist and clean; Avoid exposing your child to secondhand smoke because secondhand smoke will make the disease worse and increase the risk of asthma later in life; Continue to breastfeed or eat well enough, can be divided into many small meals a day so that the child will not vomit due to coughing a lot; Children should drink more water to avoid dehydration because lack of water will make sputum become concentrated and make the disease worse. Drink plenty of water to help loosen phlegm and soothe coughs. However, soft drinks or diluted fruit juices should not be given to children because they are often high in sugar, low in calories, or lack an electrolyte balance; Use medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. In some cases, the doctor may prescribe a fever reducer such as acetaminophen. Parents do not arbitrarily give drugs to children because if used incorrectly, it can make the disease worse or cause some unwanted side effects; Follow-up appointments on time according to the doctor's advice. Note: If any abnormal signs are detected, the child should be examined immediately. In the case of children wheezing, producing a lot of mucus, preventing air from reaching the alveoli of the lungs, they need to be hospitalized immediately. Cases of lung superinfection require antibiotics, intravenous fluids or even oxygen support,...

Avoid letting children come into contact with people showing signs of illness such as fever, cough, sneezing, runny nose,...; Avoid taking children to crowded places; Keep the children's living environment clean and fresh, avoiding kitchen or cigarette smoke; Clean and disinfect surfaces of instruments that may be contaminated with RSV virus; Pay attention to wash hands thoroughly with soap and clean water or alcohol-based hand sanitizers before taking care of children; If prescribed by a doctor, children at high risk of RSV infection will be given medicine to prevent RSV infection from becoming more serious. The drug used is palivizumab (brand name Synagis), which is given as an intramuscular injection and does not affect other vaccines the child is receiving. The drug's mechanism of action is to increase the amount of antibodies against the RSV virus, reducing the severity of the disease. A dose of palivizumab works for about 30 days, so during the epidemic season, children will need one injection each month until the end of the epidemic season. However, this drug also has side effects such as fever, rash, and redness at the injection site. RSV virus (respiratory syncytial virus) can cause complications of bronchiolitis, pneumonia in children. Therefore, when suspecting that a child has an illness, parents should take their child to the nearest medical facility for examination and timely and effective treatment.
To prevent children from being infected with viruses, parents should add some supporting foods containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, B vitamins,... fully meet the nutritional needs while supporting the immune system, enhancing resistance, reducing the risk of upper respiratory tract infections, bronchitis, flu.
Lysine is very necessary for the development of children, Lysine promotes the production of digestive enzymes to stimulate children to eat better and digest easily and effectively, increase food metabolism, maximize absorption of nutrients. Nutrition from food. Fortifying lysine for babies also helps the body create antibodies, develop resistance to help reduce cough, thin phlegm in children.
Parents can learn more:
Why do you need to supplement Lysine for your baby?
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