More Missouri RSV tests come back positive, CDC reports | News


More Missourians are testing positive for RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, than they were this time last year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC reported that at this time last year, roughly 30% of people who tested for RSV were positive. This week, about 41% of tests came back positive.

RSV, a viral infection common among children, can cause “mild, cold-like symptoms,” according to the CDC.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, RSV cases typically peaked between January and March. Chris Wilhelm, an MU Health Care pediatrician, said he’s already seen 10 to 12 cases this week.

“We didn’t really have a true ramp up,” Wilhelm said. “Usually we see one or two cases, the next week you see a couple more. This just suddenly appeared.”

Wilhelm said RSV can be dangerous to children under 6 months, children born prematurely or children who have asthma or other lung and heart conditions. RSV can also lead to infections such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis, a lung infection that causes congestion and inflammation in the airways of young children or infants.

There is not a vaccine for RSV and the only medicines available provide symptomatic relief that isn’t specific for RSV, Wilhelm said.

RSV symptoms differ from flu symptoms in that people with the virus could experience nasal congestion and a fever around 101 degrees. People with the flu may experience fevers around 102 degrees that last several days, as well as body aches.

Symptoms of RSV are hard to compare to COVID-19 symptoms because they change as variants evolve, Wilhelm said. He recommended parents with children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years take their children to a doctor if they are displaying RSV symptoms.

“If you’re worried about your baby, there’s nothing wrong with getting them to their primary care provider. Part of a pediatrician’s job is to take care of the baby and reassure the parents,” Wilhelm said.



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