This virus causes more hospitalizations in children than corona

For two years now we have all been bothered by the corona virus and its effect on children AKBU, but the truth is that the RSV virus causes a double amount of hospitalizations.

Here's what you need to know about it

Walla!

health

03/04/2022

Sunday, 03 April 2022, 11:00 Updated: 11:05

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In the video: a briefing by the corona projector, Prof. Salman Zarka (Photo: GPO)

In the last two years it has been easy to make the mistake of thinking that corona is the only disease in the world, but the truth is that there are a variety of viruses circulating among us, and some of them cause no less significant damage.

In a new study, researchers compared children hospitalized as a result of corona versus children hospitalized as a result of RSV - a virus that causes breathing problems in children.

According to the findings, the average hospitalization from morbidity in the RSV virus was double that of the corona virus.

"Children with RSV infection needed more medically and nursing-intensive care compared to children infected with corona," the researchers explained.

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The study, published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, found that diseases caused by the RSV virus caused longer hospitalizations than as a result of coronary heart disease in infants and young children.

Researchers from the University of Cologne in Germany reviewed hospitalization cases of 748 infants and young children from birth to age 4 who were hospitalized between March 2020 and November 2021. All children were tested in laboratory tests and about 200 of them were found to have RSV or corona charges.

Double hospitalization period.

Hospitalized child (Photo: ShutterStock)

According to the findings, the average hospitalization period in a hospital as a result of a disease caused by RSV lasted about four days, compared to only two days among those who contracted the corona virus and needed treatment.

The researchers also found that the group of children hospitalized for the RSV virus had higher rates of needing oxygen therapy (39.6 percent) and respiratory tract use (24.3 percent) compared with the group of children hospitalized for the corona virus (8.3 and 0 percent, respectively).

In addition, differences were also found between the two groups in airway air pressure (1.8 vs. 0 percent), pediatric intensive care (10.1 vs. 0 percent), and need for artificial respiration (1.2 vs. 0 percent).

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"According to our findings, symptomatic patients with the RSV virus were more ill than Corona patients and were hospitalized for significantly longer periods of time," the researchers concluded. "Compared to patients who were infected in Corona."

By the age of two, almost every baby will be infected with RSV

RSV (or Respiratory syncytial virus) is a common cause of respiratory diseases in infants.

By the age of two, almost every baby will be infected with this virus.

Among preterm infants and infants with severe heart and lung disease, the risk of developing a serious illness from this virus is higher.

Respiratory diseases may include symptoms such as fever, sore throat and runny nose.

In some cases there may also be an increased shortness of breath, and in some cases it is necessary to assist in providing oxygen.

In preterm infants and infants with congenital heart disease, kidney damage or immunosuppression - the disease tends to be particularly severe and can result in high mortality.

Premature babies are at increased risk.

Expired (Photo: ShutterStock)

RSV is the most significant factor in hospitalizing children and occupying beds during the winter.

The long-term effects of morbidity as a result of the RSV virus are ambiguous but there is evidence of an over-prevalence of asthma, early wheezing and recurrent respiratory infections.

"Vaccine against the virus can prevent the disease"

"Despite the corona epidemic, diseases caused by the RSV virus still carry a heavier burden in pediatric morbidity," explains Dr. Meir Mei Zahav, chairman of the Israel Pediatric Lung Physicians Association and director of the Pediatric Asthma Unit at Schneider Medical Center.

He said, "Vaccination against the virus can prevent the morbidity of the RSV virus and prevent respiratory exacerbation in infants at risk for severe morbidity, thus saving the need for hospitalizations."

While the corona virus does not yet have vaccines for the infant and child population under the age of five, RSV has vaccines and they are given in Israel mainly to the preterm population.

The vaccines currently available for RSV are "tolerable vaccines" designed to protect preterm infants from contracting this disease.

The vaccine is given in the first year or two of the lives of premature babies.

Because it is a passive vaccine that provides antibodies to the baby without stimulating the independent immune system, it is necessary to administer repeat doses during the season in which the virus is circulating.

Recently, a new vaccine has been developed that has been found to be highly effective in preventing RSV disease in infants and preterm infants born even after the 35th week of pregnancy.

The vaccine is given in only one dose and without the need to give five doses as is the case to date.

• health

• parenthood

• Child health

Tags

• Corona

• Pediatrics

• Premature

• cough