Respiratory virus newborns, health authorities alert also in GB

“Cases of respiratory infections in young children, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), are on the rise.” The UK Health Safety Agency wrote in one of its notices on 20 October. The latest released via social media to the Queen’s ‘subjects’ is from today: he explains that this virus, which is causing several hospitalizations among the youngest in Italy, “can be more serious for premature babies, infants under the age of 2 months “or the children” who have pre-existing health problems that put them more at risk “, and invites them to pay attention to the symptoms and to inquire about transmission, prevention and treatment. Read also According to the latest bulletin on respiratory infections, in England the positivity to respiratory syncytial virus (Rsv) in the last week monitored by the health authority has slightly decreased: from 8.9% the previous week to 8.4% , with the highest peak reached in children under 5 (0-4 years), where they travel on 20.9%. The weekly positivity trend in GB peaked a few weeks ago and now continues at high levels, as the RSV virus is the second entry after rhinoviruses. As evidence of the intense activity of respiratory viruses among the youngest, just a few days ago in Northern Ireland the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children announced that it had to postpone 14 scheduled surgeries from October 1st, because the health facility is under pressure for weeks with an increasing number of children hospitalized with respiratory infections. In just one day, local media reported, 184 went to the emergency room, the highest number recorded. Northern Ireland is experiencing a very high rate of chest and respiratory infections, numbers – for example the ‘BBC’ reported online – that are normally seen after Christmas. And there are also a significant number of children who need to be hospitalized. A large increase in bronchiolitis, the respiratory infection caused by the respiratory syncytial virus, is reported. It affects infants and children under the age of 2 in most cases in a non-severe form that resolves within 2 to 3 weeks, but some infants develop more severe symptoms and require hospital treatment and receive oxygen. Some experts report that they are seeing a “spike in cases,” as they report from a Londonderry facility. Last year, explained Sandy Nelson, a doctor in the Emergency Department, quoted by the BBC, “we had practically zero bronchiolitis, with the lockdown, the use of masks, hygiene and the fact that the children did not mix. ‘as much as they normally do, so we have seen next to nothing. Now we are seeing the children who were supposed to get infected last year, and those who would have caught the virus this year, so we are basically getting twice as many patients as we would normally expect. “.