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National RSV surge hits Jacksonville

Published on October 28, 2022 at 11:54 am

Respiratory syncytial virus — RSV — is surging across the U.S., and Jacksonville kids aren’t being spared.

Dr. Mobeen Rathore, chief of infectious disease at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, says the hospital is “definitely in an RSV outbreak situation,” with more than 10% of patients testing positive for the illness.

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At Wolfson’s hospital and emergency centers, the number of cases rose from 319 in July to 611 in September. Cases stood at 517 as of Oct. 25.

The symptoms of RSV are similar to the common cold, but the disease can cause pneumonia and inflammation of the small airways in the lungs of very young children. It can be serious and even fatal for young babies.

Generally, most children are infected with RSV by the time they’re 2, but pandemic precautions like mask wearing and social distancing had kept infections down the past couple of winters. Now, more children are being infected earlier in the year.

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There’s no vaccine for RSV, so health officials say it’s important for parents to keep household surfaces clean, wash their children’s hands and their own frequently, and keep kids home when they’re sick.


author image Newsletter Writer / Engagement Editor

Ric Anderson got his first job in a newsroom as a teenager in the 1980s, and he's been in the news business virtually ever since as a news and sports reporter, news editor and opinion editor. A native Kansan, he came to Jacksonville Today after 11 years as an editor at the Las Vegas Sun.

author image Newsletter Writer / Engagement Editor

Ric Anderson got his first job in a newsroom as a teenager in the 1980s, and he's been in the news business virtually ever since as a news and sports reporter, news editor and opinion editor. A native Kansan, he came to Jacksonville Today after 11 years as an editor at the Las Vegas Sun.