At least partially due to the government’s Covid lockdown, there has been a 1,400% increase in the respiratory illness RSV among Irish children since 2019.
So far this year, up until the week of October 9th, there have been 150 cases of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) confirmed. This time last year there were no cases as the country was locked down, while in 2019 there were 10 instances. In 2018 there were only six.
It’s believed that the sudden unprecedented surge is largely a result of the government’s Covid lockdown, where children weren’t exposed to infections and their bodies were unable to produce natural immunity.
RSV is a usually mild virus which affects the lungs and respiratory system. It can be dangerous, however, in the immunocompromised, young children and premature babies, as well as the elderly, as the virus has the potential to develop into bronchiolitis and pneumonia in rare circumstances.
It’s believed that roughly 1 in 50 children who catch RSV need medical care. Around 65% of children catch the virus by the age of one, and by the age of three, this rises to over 90%.
Symptoms include fever, cough, difficulty breathing and wheezing, difficulty eating, drinking and swallowing, as well as a runny nose. It’s also possible for those infected to turn blue around the fingertips and lips.