Riley Hospital for Children prepares for rise in RSV cases, implements new visitor guidelines
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. (WISH) — Riley Hospital for Children is preparing for a rise in Respiratory Syncytial Virus this fall season by adjusting visitor guidelines and expanding its pediatric intensive care unit to handle the RSV cases on top of other respiratory illnesses.
Dr. Samina Bhumbra is the medical director of infection prevention at Riley Children’s Health.
Dr. Bhumbra says RSV is a risk for young children but is particularly dangerous in infants because it changes the way babies breathe, which can cause issues with eating, leading to possible dehydration.
Nearly 60,000 children younger than 5 years old are hospitalized due to RSV each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Virtually all children will get an RSV infection by the time they are 2 years old, the CDC says, and it often causes a mild, cold-like illness. In severe cases, it can lead to bronchiolitis or pneumonia.
Symptoms of RSV include runny nose, decreased appetite, and cough which may lead to wheezing.
Bhumbra says there are things parents can do at home to help mitigate the chances of RSV or other illnesses in children this fall.
“An important thing is washing your hands — washing your hands a lot. Avoid touching your face, because a lot of these viruses sit on door knobs or surfaces, and they can survive a little while and sometimes we forget when we touch those doorknobs and touch our face, we can be giving ourselves some of these viruses,” Bhumbra said.
New visitor restrictions at the hospital went into effect at 9 p.m. Tuesday and include:
- No one under the age of 18 will be allowed to visit, including patient siblings
- Pediatric inpatients may have two parents/guardians and up to four designated visitors
- Maternity Unit patients can have up to six designated adults
- Only two visitors can visit at a time
- Anyone showing signs of illness should not visit until they are healthy
The hospital says the restrictions are in place to “help protect our patient population who may be more vulnerable to infection.”