RSV is expected to arrive in Arkansas sooner than usual, and hospitalizations and ER visits are increasing

Little Rock, Arkansas – RSV is a common virus that affects small children and elderly adults, and it is arriving in Arkansas earlier than predicted this year.

One mother, Hanah Files, simultaneously had a newborn and a three-year-old infected with the virus.

The three-year-old, according to her, struggled more with the sickness.

“They tested him for everything under the sun and it came back RSV,” said Files.

Dr. Rick Barr, executive vice president of Arkansas Children’s Facility, stated that the hospital has recently witnessed an increase in the number of cases.

“What’s different this year and last year, the past two years is that the RSV has come in the middle of the summer or early fall,” said Dr. Barr. “It’s been much, much earlier this year.”

He asserted that he thinks Covid-19 and the way people have been isolated have anything to do with it.

There might not be the same level of resistance to RSV that there formerly was.

“We’re not seeing much Covid which is good,” said Dr. Barr. “But we are starting to see lots of RSV and starting to see lots of flu.”

Due to a lack of beds in other states, according to Dr. Barr, they are seeing a lot of patients from beyond their own state.

“We have had children transfer from Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and Missouri who need hospitalizations and there are just no beds available in children’s hospitals in those states,” said Dr. Barr.

Flu-like symptoms, congestion, and a runny nose are some of the less severe ones.

Dr. Barr advises visiting your pediatrician or heading to the ER if your ill child’s breathing makes it difficult for them to swallow a bottle.