By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Mosaic Life Care has reported an increase in RSV and other respiratory illnesses with doctors worried about how they might spread during holiday gatherings.
Dr. Jamie Ball with Mosaic Internal Medicine and Pediatrics says Christmas and New Year’s gathering are great, but she says to exercise caution.
“Everybody gets in enclosed spaces in areas where you have lots of people and people who haven’t seen each other for a long time and especially when you have little babies, everybody wants to love and kiss on little babies. And that’s the biggest thing going into the holiday season,” Ball tells reporters during a recent media gathering. “If any of your family members have any signs of sickness, just a runny nose, a sniffle, I would keep them away from your little babies, your older adults.”
Ball warns RSV and other viruses are contagious. She says there is no shame in parents telling others, even relatives, to not kiss their babies if the suspect RSV.
“There’s no shame in a parent telling them, ‘Please do not kiss my baby. Please don’t get up in my baby’s face,’” Ball says. “That’s your little one. That’s their pride and joy. Do whatever it takes to protect them.”
Ball says RSV normally peaks between the third and fifth day, though a persistent cough might remain for more than a week as the body repairs damaged lungs. Ball says parents cannot really suction out their child’s nose too much, no matter how discomforting to both child and parent.
While Christmas gatherings are festive times when you often see relatives you haven’t seen much during the year, it can be a breeding ground for the germs that spread respiratory illnesses. Ball says children, even infants, will be fine as long as parents are cautious and protective.
“While some kids do really well with RSV and these viruses, it’s hard to predict who it’s going to hit the hardest,” according to Ball. “So, just doing those little things to protect them when they’re in those big gatherings.”
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