08/07/2021
Something to be aware of mums! Your older kid may just seem fine to you! But for younger bubs it could be a lot worse! I’m going to limit the toys that are shared to ones that are easily cleaned! Those of you with younger babies may wish to keep toys seperate! If your kid is sick please keep them at home! ✌🏼
❄️ Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) information ❄️ Winter is a great time for chasing leaves and jumping in puddles. It can also be a stressful time for tamariki and their whānau, with continuous rounds of sneezing, coughs and runny noses. 🤧 🤒 Tamariki are spending more time indoors around other tamariki making them more likely to pick up bugs and illnesses. Inevitably, they can end up sharing their bugs along with their toys.
Winter coughs and sneezes also bring greater exposure to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common cause of colds. Most tamariki would have been exposed to RSV by the time they are 2 years old, giving them a chance to build up their immunity. 💪 Hygiene precautions and social distancing due to COVID-19 meant New Zealand saw a decrease in RSV related illnesses last year, even through winter and spring months. This means more tamariki this year are without immunity, and catching it for the first time, this makes our young pēpi especially vulnerable to RSV.
In older tamariki, RSV symptoms are mild and similar to a common cold, however, for pēpi the virus can cause serious illnesses such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Tamariki with bronchiolitis may wheeze and breathe faster to try and catch their breath. For pēpi, because of their much smaller airways, they can be seriously affected by bronchiolitis.
Simple precautions can be taken to limit spread of bugs, much like we do for COVID-19
• careful and frequent handwashing,
• social distancing,
• talk to your friends and whānau before they visit about not visiting if they are unwell
• covering coughs and sneezes (or teaching little ones to sneeze into their elbows),
• keeping your house warm and dry,
• having a smokefree environment, and keeping tamariki smokefree
• keeping sick children home from day care and early childhood education centres (this will also help to limit the spread)
If you are concerned about your tamariki, PlunketLine is available 24/7 on 0800 933 922, or consult your GP or Practice Nurse.
You can find more information on our website: https://www.plunket.org.nz/child-health-concerns-and-symptoms/coughs-colds-breathing-and-fevers/rsv
