Cook Children’s seeing spike in early RSV cases

Doctors at Cook Children’s Medical Center said they’re seeing an early spike in RSV cases this year.

The Fort Worth hospital has reportedly been seeing more than 1,000 children a day in its ER and urgent care centers. That’s causing longer wait times.

Records show doctors have treated nearly 300 RSV patients at the hospital over the past two weeks. Those are numbers they usually see between December and January.

RSV is a common pediatric respiratory virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages. 

“It’s a virus that causes typically cold-like symptoms in children and adults,” explained Dr. Kimberly Giuliano with the Cleveland Clinic. “But in younger children, it can cause much more significant congestion and cough, high fevers, sometimes breathing and feeding difficulties and irritabilities.”

RELATED: RSV cases surging in children as virus spreads earlier, faster this year

While some children with RSV require hospitalization, most do not.

Cook Children’s encouraged parents to go to only go to the ER or an urgent care center for emergencies such as trouble breathing. Pediatrician’s offices can test for RSV, flu or COVID-19 and treat most cases.

Doctors also urged families to keep sick children at home to help keep the illness from spreading.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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