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Monday's Health Report: The signs of RSV and how to prevent it
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BATON ROUGE — RSV can be dangerous, even deadly, for those who are more vulnerable, babies in particular.
Right now, in the U.S., RSV activity is low, but October is when the virus typically starts spreading, and it's dangerous to those who are most vulnerable.
"It's the leading cause of hospitalizations in kids less than one year of age," Dr. Juanita Mora of the American Lung Association said.
Dr. Juanita Mora with the American Lung Association says RSV symptoms may start mild with a runny nose and high fevers, but it can travel to the lungs and cause babies and young children to be at risk for illnesses like pneumonia.
She says if a child is having labored breathing, shortness of breath, wheezing, a worsening cough or signs of dehydration, like a lack of wet diapers, it's time to take them to the emergency room.
But she says there is a way to protect against severe disease, the RSV vaccine.
The CDC says it can be given during weeks 32 and 36 of pregnancy, or an infant RSV antibody can be given to the baby after birth.
"We saw from the 2024-2025 data that by giving protection to these babies, we were able to reduce hospitalization by 50%," she said.
Not everyone who contracts RSV will go to a doctor so it's hard to know the exact number of people who were sick, but last season, CDC data estimates show that from October 1, 2024 through May 3, 2025 there were up to 6 and a half million RSV outpatient visits, up to 350,000 hospitalizations and up to 23,000 deaths due to RSV.
This season, the agency expects peak weekly hospitalization rates across all age groups due to RSV to be similar.
"Let's protect the village to help protect these babies," she said.
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