NORFOLK, Va. — The CDC is reporting unusually high numbers of RSV positive cases across the country, especially in the South.
One Suffolk mom said her twin infants caught RSV, and she hopes other parents take this warning seriously.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus is nothing new to CHKD pediatrician infectious disease expert, Dr. Laura Sass. Sass is also the Medical Director of CHKD's Infection Prevention and Control.
She said her department usually sees dozens of cases each week for the winter months, but noticed an unusual pattern from the springtime leading into the summer season.
"We've been seeing all of the respiratory viruses increase," Sass said. "We suddenly have gone up to the point where for last week, we had 40 positive test results for RSV."
RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children under one in the United States. It can mimic cold or flu-like symptoms, including a fever, runny nose and wheezing.
Sass said if your child has these symptoms, the best thing to do is call your doctor.
"If you see your child having some symptoms, monitor them closely and call your pediatrician for an opinion," said Sass. "If your child is having significant difficulty breathing, you have to take them to a hospital, especially if they are premature infants."
That was the exact case for Jameson and Julia, the twins of Suffolk mother Nichole Demski.
The mother of five said it didn't seem like a big deal at first. Her older daughter had a runny nose and her husband caught RSV, but she said they took every precaution they could to prevent the spread.
"We even had hospital-level hand sanitizer on our wall and asked anyone who entered our home to use it. We were so careful," Demski said.
Soon enough, her son Jameson's lips starting turning slightly gray. The second she heard him having difficulty breathing in his sleep, she rushed him and his sister to the hospital.
"It was terrifying, and we thought we did everything right," said Demski, remembering the moment she had to ride in the ambulance with her newborns.
Now, Demski wants other parents to know how high the chances are of their kids contracting it, and what to do in this situation.
"They say if you've been sick to not kiss a baby, don't kiss a baby," Demski pleaded. "The baby will still be there, but with RSV, I mean another couple of days, had I not taken him in, I could've lost my son in his sleep. That's what they told me."
Demski also asked parents, though you may be used to colds and illnesses in a house with children, to understand the risk of RSV.