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Dayton Children's dealing with a 'triple whammy' of respiratory illnesses

Dayton Children's Hospital from Ohio State Route 4
Jason Zhang
/
Wikimedia Commons
Dayton Children's Hospital from Ohio State Route 4

Dayton Children's hospital's intensive care unit has been full at times during the past few weeks. That’s as hospitals across the state (and the country) are seeing a surge in respiratory illnesses.

Dayton Children’s said the surge in local hospitals is especially affecting children who are less than two years old. Medical Experts told WYSO that part of the problem is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)--a common virus this time of year that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. But, according to the Chief Medical Officer at Dayton Children's Dr. Adam Mezoff, RSV can be serious for infants.

"We sort of have the triple whammy of also having flu season starting up and still having COVID issues," Mezoff said.

RSV is more serious this year because people, including young children, masked up in 2020 and 2021 to protect themselves from COVID.

"We did a lot of masking which prevented children from getting sick, not just COVID, but other respiratory viruses,” he said. “They weren't exposed, so they didn't develop an immunity to it."

Mezoff said caregivers and parents should make sure their children's nasal passages are clean and that they are getting plenty of fluids. He said if a child is struggling to breathe, they need to be seen by a doctor.

Chris Welter is a reporter and corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms.

Chris Welter is the Managing Editor at The Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO.

Chris got his start in radio in 2017 when he completed a six-month training at the Center for Community Voices. Most recently, he worked as a substitute host and the Environment Reporter at WYSO.