RSV is coming soon!

Just so those of you without kids or those that don't have preemies or major health issues know one of the worst seasons for preemies health risk is coming up very soon. It's called Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This is the most common cause for bronchitis and pneumonia for kids under the age of one.

This disease is just the common cold to you and me. But to Preemies it can be deadly. This is the reason why we have our standing rule that if you have a cough, sniffle or tickle in your throat 10 days prior to visiting the boys we ask that you postpone that visit for another 7 to 10 days. If you have a family member, someone in your household, people you work with that have been ill then please wait 7 to 10 days before visiting. It's why we are so obsessed with washing our hands. It may seem that we are being paranoid or overprotective. But just one contaminated moment with our babies can send them into serious respiratory distress and put them both back in the hospital. A cold for you is deadly to them. In Maryland the season begins in October and ends in March.

To view the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) maps of RSV season surveillance in your area visit this link:

http://www.cdc.gov/surveillance/nrevss/rsv-data.htm

To combat the chances of preemies being affected by RSV there is a vaccine called Sygnasis that is given once a month in a shot at your pediatricians office. This shot s very expensive (in the neighborhood of $1k to $1200 per shot each month of RSV season) so we'll get on the sign up priority/referral list at the doctor's and insurance will cover it.

(Thanks to KellyMichelle on the Nest for the link.)