RSV Infection Lowers Immunity and Increases Risk of catching Covid

From Memorial Ankara Hospital, Department of Child Health and Diseases, Uz. Dr. Burak Emekli gave information about RSV infection and its treatment.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes epidemics all over the world with the arrival of the winter season and the cooling of the weather, is a virus that affects all respiratory tracts, including the lung. Dr. Burak Retired, “The recurrence risk of RSV, which is the number one cause of lower respiratory tract infection, especially in children under the age of one, is high. While direct contact is the most common mode of transmission; It can also be transmitted by droplets suspended in the air due to sneezing or coughing.

Saying that RSV infection, the symptoms of which vary according to the age and immune status of the patient, shows similar symptoms to the flu. Dr. Burak Retired, “The symptoms of RSV infection, which has findings such as runny nose, coughing, sneezing, fever, loss of appetite and wheezing, are usually seen in stages. Infants who are very young may have only one symptom, while older children and adults have flu symptoms. However, it should not be forgotten that it can cause lung infection, especially in the elderly and immunocompromised people. he said.

While diagnosing RSV infection, first of all, a physical examination is performed by a specialist physician and explaining that it is absolutely necessary to suspect RSV while evaluating the findings, Uz. Dr. Burak Retired, “However, rapid antigen detection test or PCR method can be applied by taking samples from the throat of the patients who are deemed suitable to confirm the diagnosis. After the diagnosis is made, there is no specific treatment for the disease, and the treatments are usually directed towards the symptoms. said.

Although the disease process varies according to the patient, most RSV infections go away on their own within a week or two. Although almost all children up to age two are infected with RSV, immunity to previous infection does not provide adequate protection against re-infection. For this reason, Uz said that recurrent infections can be seen with milder symptoms. Dr. Burak Retired continued his words as follows:

“One of the ways to protect against RSV infection is the RSV vaccine, which is the application of antibodies against a structure on the surface of RSV. Babies whose gestational week is less than 29 weeks and whose calendar age is less than 1 year, babies whose gestational week is below 32 weeks and whose calendar age is less than 3 months, some babies with chronic lung and heart diseases are vaccinated free of charge by the Ministry of Health. Vaccination is applied between October and March during the RSV season, with a maximum of 1 doses for a patient at 5-month intervals.

“Ways to avoid RSV infection”

• Hands should be washed frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Hand disinfectants should be used when soap and water are not available,
• Do not touch the eyes, nose and mouth with unclean hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick, such as hugging, kissing or using the same materials
• A tissue or arm barrier should be used for coughing and sneezing, contaminated tissues should be thrown away.
• Items such as toys, door handles and mobile devices that are used frequently and in common should be disinfected regularly.
• When you are sick, you should not mix with the society as much as possible.