FORT SMITH, Ark. — In the fall and winter months, it is not uncommon to see an increase in respiratory-related illnesses in children and adults.
What has been uncommon, is the number of severe cases of the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
The virus most often impacts children under the age of two but can infect anyone with underlying respiratory conditions and the elderly. Typically, RSV symptoms are mild - similar to the common cold, anyone infected can experience a stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, low-grade fever, or loss of appetite.
Recently, however, spikes of severe cases of RSV have spread across the country and impacts are being seen in local communities in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Add in cases of COVID-19 and the flu, RSV is another illness to be on the lookout for.
"It's just one more virus people are susceptible to," says Nycole Oliver, a nurse practitioner at Baptist Health in Fort Smith.
Oliver tells 5NEWS that there are severe cases of RSV that require hospitalization, it just is not usually this early in the year.
"We kind of see it in later winter months and so we have been seeing it earlier," said Oliver. "Our emergency department in particular has seen an increase in cases, and our pediatric clinic, I know, has seen about four cases a week in the past couple of weeks."
She believes it is likely severe cases will continue to climb.
Oklahoma health officials have witnessed a similar trend in increased cases of severe RSV requiring hospitalization.
"We have about 275 children's beds in Oklahoma Children's Hospital," said Dr. Cameron Mantor, Chief Medical Officer at Oklahoma Children's Hospital. "We have had several points over the past couple of weeks at which every single bed had a patient, and our 26-bed emergency room had between 10 and 15 patients waiting to be admitted."
Health officials in Oklahoma have seen numbers double between September and October.
"There's no question, the number of cases is going up substantially," said Dr. Mantor.
Doctors, nurses and health care professionals are urging parents to consult with their pediatricians or primary care physicians for ways to treat RSV at home.
Oliver says treating symptoms will usually do the trick, but can be about a week before little ones begin to feel better. She says going to a hospital or urgent care with mild symptoms could leave your child, or yourself, at risk of catching another illness making RSV worse.
If RSV symptoms worsen, with difficulty breathing, or harsh rapid breaths, it is time to head to the hospital or urgent care.
As with other illnesses, RSV is highly contagious and can be spread by coughing and touching your face. However, the spread of RSV can be easily mitigated by washing hands, distancing if ill and even wearing a mask if in public.
Despite the increase in severe cases, Oliver and Oklahoma officials believe RSV is not a crisis and it is better to be proactive instead of reactive.
"It is not time to panic, this is something that is happening and I think that if we are hyper-vigilant about distancing and washing our hands and things like that, I think that this is going to be okay," says Oliver.
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