Lisa McHugh, a county Fermanagh-based country music singer, has shared her experience of how her baby daughter had to be hospitalized after contracting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The virus is highly infectious and has been affecting the breathing system of young children and older adults. Ms McHugh’s daughter Hallie had to stay in the hospital for ten days and had to be fed through a tube.
According to the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland, there have been more than 1,000 cases of RSV in infants under the age of one since 30 September 2024, and two thirds of the infants have been hospitalized. An RSV vaccine is available to pregnant women since the last September, and it is offered from 28 weeks into pregnancy.
Dr. Nicholas Lipscomb, a consultant pediatrician in South West Acute Hospital, said RSV is a seasonal infection and is particularly severe between November and February every year. Most babies and children do not need hospital treatment, but the younger the child, the more likely they will need hospitalization, particularly if they are struggling to breathe and feed. RSV can be potentially dangerous for a very young or preterm baby, a baby with underlying heart issues, or an older adult, he added.
Hallie caught RSV again four weeks after being discharged from the hospital. McHugh is urging parents to be more aware of RSV and not to be afraid of speaking up to protect their baby. She advises parents to ask visitors to wash their hands before holding the baby or postpone visiting if they have a cold.
Symptoms of RSV start with a blocked or runny nose and can progress to a dry cough, fever, and breathing problems. For most children, it will be mild and can be treated at home with infant paracetamol or ibuprofen. In case the child is not feeding normally, breathing fast, or has a high temperature that will not go down, parents should call their GP or seek medical advice. If a child is exhausted from trying to breathe, with muscles under their ribs sucking in with each breath or they are pale and sweaty, parents should call 999
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