Friday 15/November/2024 – 05:07 PM
The British health authorities reported Increasing cases A potentially fatal lung infection in the United Kingdom, especially among children under the age of five, as health officials have warned that the respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, is spreading at higher than normal levels, and that the influenza season has now begun, according to what was published in the British newspaper The Sun.
High rate of respiratory syncytial virus infection
Respiratory syncytial virus is a respiratory infection, like coronavirus and influenza, and is a common cause of coughs and colds. The infection usually improves on its own, but it may develop into a type of chest infection called bronchiolitis or pneumonia in children.
The UK’s Health Security Agency issued a report on surveillance of influenza, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus infections, noting that RSV activity was spreading above baseline levels, with more pronounced increases among those under five years of age.
andDr. Jamie Lopez Bernal, a consultant epidemiologist at the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, said that respiratory syncytial virus continues to spread at higher levels, especially among children aged five years and under, as emergency departments are seeing an increase in acute bronchiolitis, and for the first time. The first this year, vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus is offered to any woman 28 weeks pregnant or older to protect her baby, along with people aged 75 to 79 years.
Symptoms of respiratory syncytial virus
Symptoms of the virus usually appear on people four to six days after infection, and signs include the following:
- Runny nose
- Decreased appetite
- Cough
- Sneezing
- fever
- Whistling
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms can be much more subtle in very young children, including irritability, decreased activity, and difficulty breathing.
