A member of the National Committee for Pharmacovigilance and Corona Vaccines, Dr. Dirar Balawi, said that after a period of immune gap after the Corona pandemic, the “respiratory syncytial” has become more capable of infecting adults.

He added that it will increase the pressure on hospitals, especially with the presence of two other main causes, namely the Corona virus and influenza. Therefore, it is important to equip hospitals with the necessary beds, medicines, fumigators, and intravenous fluids, as therapeutic interventions for children.

And he indicated that the current global statistics and epidemiological patterns indicate that about 9% of children under the age of five infected with respiratory syncytial virus went to outpatient clinics, and 0.35% of them were admitted to hospitals for treatment.

Regarding the nature of the RSV virus, Balawi explained that it is a respiratory virus that enters the body through the eyes, nose, or mouth, and spreads easily through the air through contaminated respiratory droplets, and the infection can be transmitted to adults or children when a person infected with the virus sneezes or coughs near a person. intact, as it can be transmitted through a handshake.

He pointed out that the virus can live for several hours on solid objects such as table tops, toys and baby bed rails, while the infected person can be highly infectious during the first week after the onset of infection, while infants and people with weak immune systems may continue to spread. virus even after symptoms have gone away, for up to four weeks.

Regarding his symptoms, according to Balawi, they are similar to the Corona virus and other respiratory viruses, so the laboratory examination is the only one capable of differentiating between them.

He stressed the need to go to the emergency department, if the child suffers from dehydration, difficulty and rapid breathing, or a high temperature that does not respond to antipyretic drugs, or his skin, lips, or nail bases tend to turn blue, as most patients improve in department. Supportive care, and they can often go home after a few days.

Balawi explained that there is no specific treatment for the syncytial system virus and no vaccine, and the symptoms usually last for a week or two, and go away by consuming plenty of fluids and rest, and for some children, it can be a more serious disease, and the child may need to stay in the hospital until he can to get additional oxygen.

As for adults, he said it’s such a mild disease that they don’t realize they have it and continue to interact with others. Therefore, we advise adults not to mix with young patients.

To prevent “respiratory syncytia,” Balawi focused on teaching children to cough and sneeze into a tissue or into their elbows instead of their hands, trying to keep touched surfaces clean, and staying home when sick.

He denied that there is a union between the virus and Corona, as there are so-called factional borders, and each of them has a different family from the other.

He pointed out that the United States of America is witnessing an unprecedented increase in syncytial virus infections among children, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Control (CDC) does not track hospitalizations or deaths due to this virus, similar to influenza, but it pointed to a rise in cases of infection with the virus in many parts of the country. , exceeded 500% compared to previous years.

Studies confirm, as Balawi indicated, that most children will be infected with respiratory syncytial virus at a stage before they reach the age of two, as it is a highly contagious virus and does not often cause serious illness, with the exception of elderly adults, or those who suffer from chronic diseases of the heart, lung, or weakness. the immune system, and in some infants and children.

In a related context, he revealed that Pfizer announced that it will submit to the US Food and Drug Administration a file for a new vaccine for the syncytial virus at the end of 2022, as it has proven to protect 82% of severe lung infections for infants during the first 90 days of their lives, and 70% within six months. .

Petra agencies