Highly contagious virus has been mainly responsible for cases of respiratory infections in children | National Newspaper

Highly contagious virus has been mainly responsible for cases of respiratory infections

A highly contagious virus has been primarily responsible for current cases of respiratory infections in children.

First, Valentina ended up in the ICU. Now, it is her twin brother, Enrico, who remains hospitalized. It was the worsening of bronchiolitis symptoms that sent them both to the hospital. The mother, nurse Fabiana Vilela Nascimento, was attentive.

“The worsening is very quick. She was fine in the morning, a little tired. At night, I had to rush here to the hospital. [O alerta foi a] respiratory part, short breath, tummy sinking. Enrico stayed at home. We followed him, but then his respiratory aspect got worse, his tiredness, and then we had to bring him in on Saturday too”, says Fabiana.

Children’s hospitals are full of cases like the twins. The main cause of bronchiolitis is a respiratory virus called syncytial virus, better known as RSV. According to the latest bulletin from Fiocruzit is responsible for 58% of cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Then come the influenza viruses, which cause the flu in around 25% of cases. And that of covid, 8%.

The symptoms are similar to a cold, and most people recover within a few days. RSV becomes serious when it attacks those who are most vulnerable.

“It is a virus that can affect, that can infect anyone in any age group. But the big difference is that, in children, especially those children under 2 years of age, it usually causes a disease called bronchiolitis, which is an inflation of the small airways, of the bronchioles, which are those final branches inside the lung. So, the child has difficulty breathing and has a lot of secretion”, says Francisco Ivanildo de Oliveira, infectious disease specialist at Sabará Hospital Infantil.

To prevent RSV and other respiratory viruses from continuing to spread, it is important to remember the lessons we learned from Covid. In case of flu symptoms, wear a mask and do not send children to school or daycare, do not move around with babies in crowds and give children all available vaccines.

Last month, Anvisa approved a vaccine against the syncytial virus applied to pregnant women, which creates antibodies that protect babies in the first months of life. It is not yet available in Brazil, but flu and Covid vaccines are available and can protect children from 6 months old.

“Babies get sick very quickly and also get better quickly, but you have to stay alert”, says Fabiana.