How to keep your family safe from RSV infections during the holiday season

LOUISIANA, USA — With holiday gatherings planned over the next couple of months, the rise in RSV cases in Louisiana is concerning. Doctors are sending out a warning as we enter the winter months. 

More than 10,000 adults over 60 and 300 children die every year from RSV.  WWL Louisiana Medical Correspondent Dr. Corey Hebert says preventative measures are an easy way to decrease your chances of getting sick.

“We put our hands to our face rather more than 200 times a day sometimes,” Dr. Hebert said. “And we just don’t pay attention. So when we get sneezed on at the Walmart or the Target, we don’t wash our hands. We touch something in one of those places, and we touch our eyes. I know that then that virus is there, and that’s how you inhale it, and that’s how you get it. And so if you really want to decrease the carriage of any type of viral illness, we need to keep our hands washed.

Specialist in infectious diseases at LSU Health, Dr. Fred Lopez says the RSV vaccine is also an option for prevention.

“If you’re eight months of age or younger, you should receive what’s known now as a vaccine,” Dr. Lopez said. “There are two, in fact, that are available for patients 60 years of age or older. And the recommendation from the CDC is that if you are in that age group, you should talk with your health care provider to see if it would be a vaccine that you should receive.”

Dr. Hebert also said it’s important to know the warning signs of RSV, so you can catch and treat it early.

“If you see their little nose, their nostrils are flaring, you see their ribs being sucked in and out as they breathe, then those are very serious signs of respiratory distress, and they need to use it. Bring the baby to to the hospital.”

But those symptoms could look different depending on your age.

“With an older person, you need to make sure that if they start having high fever or difficulty breathing, maybe some blueness around the lips that cause cyanosis, then they need to be taken to the hospital as well,” Dr. Hebert said.

As you plan holiday get togethers, pay attention to how you’re feeling. If you’re sick, stay home, wear a mask, or consider outdoor gatherings.

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