>>> R.S.V. IS I RESPIRATORY VIRUS THAT CAUSES COLD-LIKE
SYMPTOMS, BUT KIT BE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS FOR INFANTS.
CAROLEE MCGRATH SAT DOWN WITH DR.
MICHAEL KLOTTY OF THE PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE
DIVISION OF BAY STATE HOSPITAL TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO
RECOGNIZE THE SYMPTOMS THE DOCTOR ALSO SPOKE ABOUT THE
FLU SEASON AND WAYS TO KEEP YOURSELF HEALTHY THIS WINTER.
>> R.S.V., WHICH IS, IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON VIRUS THAT
AFFECTS CHILDREN.
PRIMARILY CHILDREN LESS THAN 2 YEARS OF AGE.
BY THE TIME A CHILD HITS 2 YEARS OF AGE, THE OVERWHELMING
MAJORITY WILL HAVE BEEN EXPOSED AND OR INFECTED WITH R.S.V.
>> WOULD PARENTS KNOW THAT THAT EVEN HAPPENED IF IT WASN'T AN
EXTREME CASE?
IT COULD PRESENT AS A COLD?
>> RIGHT.
SO FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE INFECTED BETWEEN THE AGES OF 1 TO 2,
THOSE CHILDREN ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE COLD TYPE SYMPTOMS WITH
SOME RUNNY NOSE, CAN HAVE NASAL CONGESTION.
IT'S THE CHILDREN WHO ARE UNDER A YEAR OF AGE AND SPECIFICALLY
THE CHILDREN WHO ARE LESS THAN SIX MONTHS OF AGE WHO ARE AT
INCREASED RISK FOR DEVELOPING WHAT WE CALL INFLAMMATION OF THE
LOWER AIRWAYS THAT CAN CAUSE SIGNIFICANT WHEEZING, SHORTNESS
OF BREATH.
AND IN BETWEEN ONE TO TWO PERCENT OF CHILDREN, LESS THAN A
YEAR OF AGE, WILL REQUIRE HOSPITALIZATION.
>> SO OBVIOUSLY WHEN THE BABIES ARE INFANTS, YOU'RE CONSTANTLY
GOING BACK AND FORTH TO THE DOCTOR.
SO THIS IS ONE OF THOSE CASES WHERE, YOU'RE NOT PARANOID, MOM,
CALL THE DOCTOR IF YOU HEAR THESE KINDS OF SYMPTOMS, RIGHT?
>> RIGHT.
CERTAINLY, AND AGAIN PARTICULARLY IN CHILDREN WHO ARE
LESS THAN A YEAR OF AGE, BUT AGAIN UP TO 2 YEARS, IF YOU'RE
SEEING THE PATIENTS HAVING, OR EXCUSE ME, THE CHILDREN HAVING
INCREASED WORK AT BREATHING, IF YOU SEE THEIR RIB MUSCLES
SUCKING IN AND OUT, IF YOU NOTICE THAT THEIR NOSTRILS ARE
FLARING, IF YOU NOTICE THAT THEY'RE HAVING ANY TYPE OF COLOR
CHANGES, TURNING BLUE, WHICH AGAINST IS MORE LIKELY TO HAPPEN
IN THE EXTREMELY YOUNG.
THOUGH IT IS, AGAIN, IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS,
RELATIVELY RARE.
>> AND IT'S JUST A VIRUS THAT WOULD PICK UP AS THEY WOULD PICK
ANYTHING ELSE UP?
>> YES.
AGAIN, IT'S EXTREMELY COMMON VIRUS THAT IS TRANSMITTED FROM
CHILDREN TO CHILDREN, AND THE IMMUNITY IS NOT LIFE LONG.
SO PEOPLE CAN BE REINFECTED WITH R.S.V.
AGAIN AND AGAIN.
>> OKAY.
WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HOSPITALIZATION, WHAT IS THE
TREATMENT FOR THE BABY AT THAT POINT, AND HOW LONG IS IT
TYPICALLY DO THEY STAY IN THE HOSPITAL?
>> SO REALLY THERE'S NO TREATMENT IN TERMS OF ANTIVIRAL
MEDICATION, STEROIDS HAVE NOT BEEN SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE.
IT'S REALLY SUPPORTIVE CARE, WHICH TYPICALLY INCLUDES OXYGEN,
FREQUENT SUCTIONING IF NECESSARY, AND AGAIN SUPPORTING
THE CHILD THROUGH THEIR SYMPTOMS.
>> SO THEY HAVE TO BASICALLY RIDE IT OUT BECAUSE IT'S A
VIRUS, THE SAME AS WITH THE FLU, WHEN YOU TAKE THE KIDS IN AND
THEY HAVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
SPEAKING OF, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE FLU SEASON, WHICH IS GOING
TO BE UPON US.
YOU'RE A DOCTOR.
DO WE GET THE FLU VACCINE?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT GOES WITHOUT SAYING, ESPECIALLY IN MY
WORLD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU HOW MANY CHILDREN I'VE SEEN THAT HAVE HAD
COMPLICATIONS FROM THE FLU AND, AGAIN, WE KNOW THAT ACROSS THE
UNITED STATES EVERY YEAR THERE ARE BETWEEN ROUGHLY 100 TO 200
CHILDREN THAT WILL DIE FROM THE FLU AND COMPLICATIONS FROM THE
FLU.
SO REGARDLESS OF THE PROJECTED VACCINE EFFECTIVENESS, I CAN'T
STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF A VACCINATION.
>> LAST YEAR THE FLU SEASON WAS IN THE NEWS QUITE A BIT BECAUSE
IT WAS A VERY BAD FLU SEASON AND THERE WERE SOME HIGH PROFILE
CASES LOCALLY, AT LEAST IN THE REGION WHERE CHILDREN HAD PASSED
AWAY.
AND I THINK TO A LOT OF PARENTS IT'S LIKE OH MY GOSH, HOW DOES
THIS HAPPEN.
AT WHAT POINT DO YOU KNOW THAT THERE'S A REAL PROBLEM?
LIKE YOU HAVE TO RIDE IT OUT, RIGHT, SUPPORTIVE CARE.
BUT AFTER WHAT POINT DO PARENTS REALLY START TO GET NERVOUS THAT
THIS COULD BE SOMETHING WORSE?
>> SO, THE FLU IN AND OF ITSELF HAS, CAN MAKE YOU FEEL PRETTY
BAD, AS I'M SURE YOU PROBABLY HAVE HAD THE FLU, I'VE HAD IT.
BUT THE SYMPTOMS ON AVERAGE SHOULDN'T BE LASTING MORE THAN
FIVE DAYS, SEVEN DAYS.
OR IF YOU HAVE SOMEBODY OR A CHILD LET'S SAY WHO IS GETTING
BETTER, SEEMS TO BE ON THE MEND AND THEN SUDDENLY TAKES A TURN
FOR THE WORSE, SO WORSENING COUGHING, WORSENING FEVERS, YOU
NEED TO POTENTIALLY HAVE CONCERN FOR A COMPLICATION SUCH AS
ANOTHER INFECTION ON TOP OF THE FLU.
>> AND THE COMPLICATION, I THINK YOU MENTIONED PNEUMONIA?
>> YES, THAT'S PROBABLY THE MOST FREQUENT COMPLICATION I SEE WITH
CHILDREN WHO HAVE FLU IS GETTING A SECONDARY BACTERIAL PNEUMONIA
ON TOP OF THEIR FLU VIRAL PNEUMONIA.
AND THAT CAN CAUSE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS FOR CHILDREN.
>> OF COURSE THERE ARE OTHER COMMON SENSE WAYS TO PREVENT
THIS.
I KNOW YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE VACCINE, THAT'S ALWAYS A GOOD
SAFEGUARD.
BUT WHAT DO KIDS HAVE TO DO IN SCHOOL AND DAY CARE AND AT HOME?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT IT CAN BE DIFFICULT FOR PARENTS, AND I
KNOW AS A PARENT MYSELF IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO JUDGE WHEN IS
YOUR CHILD SICK ENOUGH TO STAY HOME FROM SCHOOL OR WELL ENOUGH
TO GO TO SCHOOL.
>> THAT'S A VERY HARD CALL SOMETIMES, IT IS.
>> INDEED IT IS.
BUT BECAUSE OF HOW CONTAGIOUS THE FLU CAN BE, IF YOUR CHILD IS
EXHIBITING SYMPTOMS SUCH AS SEVERE MUSCLE ACHES, HIGH
SPIKING FEVERS THAT HAVE COME ON RATHER SUDDENLY, SLEEPING A LOT
MORE THAN NORMALLY, I THINK IT'S BEST TO HAVE THEM TAKE A DAY OR
A COUPLE DAYS OFF.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND OF COURSE HAND WASHING, RIGHT, COVERING --
WHAT THEY DO IN SCHOOL IS THEY SNEEZE INTO THEIR ARM, THEIR
SHOULDER, NOT INTO THEIR HANDS.
BUT THEY REALLY DO WORK?
>> YES.
IT SOUNDS EXTREMELY SIMPLE AND WE STRESS THIS ALL THE TIME HE
HOSPITAL THAT THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT INFECTIONS IS TO KEEP
WASHING YOUR HANDS, ALWAYS WASHING YOUR HANDS.
FOR THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE ALWAYS ON THE GO, I KNOW PEOPLE THAT
KEEP SMALL BOTTLES OF SANITIZER IN THEIR PURSES OR CARS, I
ACTUALLY HAVE ONE IN MY CAR.
BUT IT'S THOSE LITTLE THINGS THAT REALLY DO HELP WITH
PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF THESE INFECTIONS.