Child dies of RSV at county hospital

Boy from Macomb County was 6 years old

A 6-year-old Macomb County boy has died of complications of respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, at an Oakland County hospital.

The boy died early Wednesday morning, Nov. 2. The Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office issued a death certificate confirming the cause of death, said Bill Mullan, county spokesman.

He did not release the name of the hospital where the child died or what city in Macomb County he lived in.

The Oakland County Health Division said in a release Wednesday that a sharp increase in RSV cases in the last month prompted officials to urge residents to protect themselves against the illness.

Children 4 years old and younger are the largest group of patients visiting emergency rooms in southeast Michigan for respiratory illnesses such as RSV.

“RSV is affecting our youngest, more vulnerable residents,” Oakland County Medical Director Dr. Russell Faust said. “We are concerned about RSV, flu and COVID-19 all being widespread as we move into the winter. Get your COVID and flu vaccines when eligible and wash your hands often.”

Nationally, RSV cases are peak

ing early, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They normally peak in winter.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms, but can be particularly serious for infants and older adults. It is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs) in children younger than 1 year old in the United States.

To help prevent the spread of RSV and other viruses, the Health Division recommends the following:

• Get vaccinated or boosted for influenza and COVID-19.

• Stay home if sick, even when testing negative for COVID-19.

• Wear a mask if sick and being around others is unavoidable.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

• Avoid close contact, such as kissing, shaking hands and sharing cups and eating utensils.

• Clean frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs and mobile devices.

• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your upper shirt sleeve, not your hands.

• People with cold-like symptoms should limit interaction with children at high risk for severe RSV disease, including premature infants, children younger than 2 years old who have chronic lung or heart conditions, and children with weakened immune systems. If this is not possible, carefully follow the steps above.

Signs and symptoms of severe RSV infection in infants include:

• Short, shallow and rapid breathing

• Struggling to breathe, chest muscles and skin pull inward with each breath

• Cough

• Poor feeding

• Unusual tiredness

• Irritability.

Seek immediate medical attention if a child or anyone at risk of severe RSV infection has difficulty breathing, a high fever, or a blue color to the skin, particularly on the lips and in the nail beds.

For more information about RSV, go to the Health Division’s website at www.oakgov.com/health or contact Nurse on Call at 800848-5533 or noc@oakgov.com. Nurse on Call is available 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

RSV cases fell dramatically two years ago as the pandemic shut down schools, day care centers and businesses. With restrictions easing in the summer of 2021, doctors saw an alarming increase in what is normally a fall and winter virus.

Now, it’s back again. And doctors are bracing for the possibility that RSV, flu and COVID-19 could combine to stress hospitals.

People infected are usually contagious for three to eight days. Babies and people with weakened immune systems can spread RSV for up to four weeks. There is no vaccine for it, though several candidates are in testing.

The virus is encountering a highly vulnerable population of babies and children who were sheltered from common bugs during the pandemic lockdowns.

Immune systems might not be as prepared to fight the virus after more than two years of masking, which offered protection, according to Dr. Elizabeth Mack of Medical University of South Carolina.

For babies, their mothers may not have been infected with RSV during pregnancy, which could have given the children some immunity.

There’s no specific treatment, so it’s a matter of managing symptoms and letting the virus run its course. Doctors may prescribe oral steroids or an inhaler to make breathing easier.

In serious cases, patients in the hospital may get oxygen, a breathing tube or a ventilator.