by Gloria Cannon

Created on: February 02, 2007   Last Updated: October 23, 2009

Anyone who has a baby under the age of 1, is pregnant, or plans to have a baby in the future needs to know about RSV. Respiratory Syncytial Virus is a very serious illness and is highly contagious. For an adult, or older child it my seem like the common cold. You may have a slight cough, runny nose, fever, sneezing or any of the symptoms of a cold. The problem is, when an infant gets RSV from an older sibling or parent it is a lot more serious. It causes an infection in the lungs and could be fatal if not caught and treated quick enough.

My son got RSV when he was 3 months old. He was not a premature baby and was in perfect health. Our daughter was 3 at the time and had a cold. We noticed that our son had a little cough but it didn't seem like he was having trouble breathing or was very ill at all. I decided to take him in, just to have him looked at since it was Friday and I would not be able to see his doctor during the weekend. As soon as the nurse lifted his shirt, she ran out of the room. I later learned that she could tell by the way he was breathing that he had fluid in his lungs. The doctor came in very quickly. He then called for an ambulance and tried to explain to me that my son was very ill and needed to be taken to the hospital. When the paramedics came in the put IVs in his arms (remember he was 3 months and tiny!) then decided they were going to call life flight to get him to the hospital. I had to get to the hospital, 2 hours away, while my little boy struggled for his life in a helicopter.
I will never forget getting to the hospital and seeing my little baby in a plastic bubble with breathing machines and tubes in him. We spent a month in the hospital receiving medication and getting over it.
He is now a very healthy boy who is proud to tell everyone that he once took a helicopter ride.
When I see the RSV warnings on television they seem to be aimed at premature babies. This is because they are more susceptible to infections but when we were in the hospital there were many babies there that were healthy babies before they got RSV.
The doctor told me that if I had waited to take him in he probably would have died that night in his sleep. If your child under the age of 1 gets a cold, cough, runny nose, any sign of a cold, TAKE THEM TO A DOCTOR!

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