Hospitalised cases of RSV in Ireland at highest ever level

IRELAND is seeing more hospitalised cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) than ever before, according to the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).

Last week, the HSE urged parents to “cocoon” very young babies as 829 new cases of RSV have been identified over the past week.

HPSC National Clinical Lead Dr Greg Martin said the spike in RSV cases this year has been “particularly unusual”.

He told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland: “Every year at about this time, we see a spike in RSV cases, so this is not startling per se.

“I will say, however, that this year has been particularly unusual.

“So, we have had more cases that we have had notified this year than ever before and we have had more hospitalised cases than ever before so this, from an RSV perspective, is a particularly difficult winter, especially in the health system.

“The increase in hospital admissions has led to a lot of pressure being placed on acute health services,” Dr Martin said.

“Primarily we are worried about the little children who can become tremendously ill and the elderly who are vulnerable,” he added. RSV causes bronchiolitis, which is a common chest infection in babies and young children.

The virus spreads when someone coughs or sneezes and it mostly affects babies and young children under two years old, especially babies under six months old. Dr Martin advised people to limit contact with vulnerable people if they have respiratory symptoms. “Elderly, little babies, people with chronic illness, immunosuppressed people or people with cancer, these are people we need to be patricianly careful around,” he said.

He also advised people to make sure to cover their coughs and wash their hands.