Kentucky doctors weigh in as infant RSV cases continue to rise

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - While RSV can affect everyone, it’s the leading cause of infant hospitalizations in the U.S.

“Last week, within all of Norton Healthcare, we had a record number of kids test positive for RSV,” said Dr. Kristina Bryant, Infectious Diseases at Norton Children’s.

Representatives with Norton Children’s in Louisville said what they’re seeing this season is different than last year. They say the majority of RSV cases last year were in October and November, and so by this point, the cases started to trend down.

“What’s happening this year is we started to see cases begin to tick up in late August or early September, but we didn’t really see a big spike in cases until this month, and cases are still going up,” said Dr. Bryant.

Currently, Dr. Bryant said they have 28 children hospitalized with RSV. Eight are in the ICU.

“The majority are under a year of age, and that’s what we would expect. The youngest is about a month of age, and the oldest is seven or eight years of age,” Dr. Bryant said.

Doctors said this current spike is higher than any peak Norton Children’s had during the 2022-2023 season. Dr. Bryant said they’ve recently opened an extra space in the emergency department to accommodate the influx.

“We have the capacity to care for all the children in our region who need care,” said Dr. Bryant.

In Lexington, doctors at Baptist Health said they’re seeing a typical intake of RSV patients for this time of year.

“RSV can be very serious in both infants and older adults. It’s not necessarily the common cold. That’s why if you’re that 60 plus year old or you have some chronic medical condition to get the vaccine,” said Dr. Lee Dossett, CMO of Baptist Health Lexington.

Symptoms can range. Doctors say the biggest warning sign is you or your child’s breathing.

“Last year, I think, we were talking about the ‘tripledemic’ of COVID, flu and RSV, and that’s something we assess daily,” said Dr. Dossett.