Dealing With Respiratory Syncytial Virus
If a doctor tells you that you have an RSV, he’s not saying you need to respond to an invitation. That’s an RSVP, and it’s much less hazardous to your health! RSV is short for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, a type of virus that may appear at first to be just a very bad cold. However, it’s not, although it’s not always something that needs to be a concern. In fact, most people have had RSV by the time they are two years old!
What is RSV?
RSV is caused by a virus that is somewhat similar to the cold virus. While its symptoms aren’t usually any worse than a cold, those with RSV may develop pneumonia or another, more serious issue. That’s why many parents are very quick to get their children to the doctor when they start showing signs of a bad cold. The good news is that you can become immune to RSV. The bad news is that there are dozens of different types of RSV, and each one is just different enough that immunity to one form doesn’t protect you against any of the others! That means you can get RSV multiple times. It’s even possible to have two or more different types of RSV at once!
Symptoms
The symptoms of RSV are very similar to a common cold:
• Coughing
• Runny nose
• Stuffed up nose
• Sore throat
• Fever
• Earache
• Lack of energy
• Lack of appetite
Some younger children may have symptoms such as wheezing or even difficulty breathing. Parents are urged to call their child’s doctor if this occurs.
RSV is spread like many other diseases: through sneezing, coughing, and sharing drinks and food. This virus spreads quickly and easily, so it’s almost impossible to avoid it completely. Public places or going to day care/school make it very difficult to protect children from RSV. It may also be passed around between family members, so even if the children don’t get it, an adult may bring RSV into the house.
Diagnosis
Doctors generally use the child’s symptoms to diagnose RSV, but they may also do a test on nasal drainage. Most of the time, the doctor will not do an RSV test.
Treatment
Much like the common cold, RSV generally goes away after a short period of time. It helps to take over-the-counter pain relief and other medications to relieve the issues caused by the symptoms, but these won’t treat RSV directly. For young children, it’s important to keep their heads propped up to help with breathing and to suction their nose if drainage becomes an issue.
Prevention
Many of the same things that help prevent the spread of the cold work with RSV. Wash your hands on a regular basis to help lower the chances of spreading the virus. Also make certain your kids wash their hands regularly.
Make certain your children have had all of their vaccines or are on schedule with their vaccines.
Breast feeding may provide some protection against this virus, although more research does need to be conducted.
You may also want to start taking a supplement that contains graviola. Research has shown that a graviola supplement may be able to provide you with a number of benefits.
You can buy the best organic graviola products here.
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to treat, diagnose, or cure any diseases.