HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — As RSV cases spike across the country, a Tampa family is warning other parents how serious the highly contagious virus can be.
To his family, he’s Zane the Hurricane, but recently, the four-year-old’s parents realized something was off.
Trevor Hale said he noticed his son was wheezing badly.
“Overnight, his wheezing got a lot worse, and he even said, ‘Daddy, I’m struggling,” said Hale.
First thing in the morning, they went to urgent care.
“The nurse looked at his stomach and saw his breathing and saw that his kind of chest was concave, looked at it and said if he doesn’t get better after this nebulizer, we’re going straight to the ER where they have a level 1 trauma center,” said Hale.
Zane caught RSV, a virus affecting the lungs, respiratory system, and breathing. RSV cases are on the rise across the country.
Symptoms include fever, coughing, and runny nose. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital explained if your child seems to have a mild case of RSV, keep them hydrated, suction their nose with saline solution to help with congestion, and use pain relievers like acetaminophen if needed.
“If a child is starting to have a bluish or grayish discoloration around their lips, that suggests that they’re not getting enough oxygen and that warrants a visit to the emergency room,” said Dr. Juan Dumois, a Pediatric Infectious Diseases physician.
Doctors suggest you should also talk to your pediatrician or bring your child into the ER if their ribs look like they’re sucking in or they’re dehydrated.
Fortunately, Hale said Zane bounced back and has since recovered.
“He’s bouncing off the walls like a normal four-year-old,” said Hale.
A huge relief for his family, with a reminder for all parents to keep an eye out for any symptoms that seem out of the ordinary.
“I had no idea it was that severe or it could be that serious or that we might need to go to the ER, so if your child is wheezing and really the chest is not really doing what it should be doing, go to urgent care immediately,” said Hale.
