Respiratory Virus Outbreak Affecting Stateline Children

Local pediatricians are reporting that the Rockford area is currently experiencing an outbreak of a common respiratory virus called RSV that causes cold-like symptoms in young children and babies.

RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus, is something that sounds super scary, but is actually something we have all probably had at some point in our lives. In the last week my 7-month-old niece, 4-year-old nephew, and now my 2-year-old daughter Ella have all been affected by it, and are all on the mend. All three of these kids experienced different symptoms, but my young niece had it the worst. Her breathing was very congested and raspy, but she is doing just fine now. My nephew ran a fever for a few days, had a slight cough, and had an ear infection. My daughter has had a runny nose and phlegmy cough for weeks, no fever, but was just diagnosed with an ear infection that I'm sure was a result of her own bout of RSV.

The point of my story is this; don't freak out if your child's pediatrician tells you your child has RSV. Yes, your child will not feel well. Yes, your child will be super cranky, but they will get past it. RSV is a virus which there is no antibiotic to treat, so you just have to wait it out and treat it like any normal cold.