LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Valley medical professionals are raising concerns as children with a highly-infectious respiratory illness continue to fill beds in hospitals.
UMC told KTNV that about 40 to 50 percent of their patients in the children's hospital have a respiratory virus, known as RSV. The number of cases being seen is nearly 40 percent higher than what doctors usually see in the summer.
Dr. Meena Vohra, the Medical Director at UMC Children's Hospital, says the number of children coming into the hospital with RSV is concerning, even though this is the season for the RSV illness.
RSV can spread very easily throughout communities from droplets caused by coughing, sneezing and other flu-like symptoms caused by the illness.
Older children and adults have a higher chance of recovering completely from RSV, but for infants, the illness can be very serious.
"You and I could be carrying the virus and we are not symptomatic. Because we have had it so many times, we are immune to it... But babies don't have that immunity," said Dr. Vohra. "So if you pick up a child and you have a cold, it is very easy to transmit it to them."
Dr. Vohra says the uptick in RSV cases is not uncommon, but in the past three years, the safety protocols put in place during COVID helped reduce its spread, along with other respiratory illnesses.
She says there is no form of protection against this virus, but it is critical for families to follow basic hygiene practices.
She says, "Constantly wash your hands, use plenty of disinfectants and avoid taking your children to large gatherings."
