DOH bares surge in RSV cases; 200 children in PH affected

Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the officer in charge of the Department of Health (File photo by the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

The Department of Health (DOH) reported more than 200 cases among Filipino children of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a contagious airborne illness that is recently putting pressure on hospitals in the United States.

According to Maria Rosario Vergeire, officer in charge of the DOH, there were 221 cases of RSV recorded among Filipino children from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31 this year. No deaths have been reported due to RSV, she added.

While it affects mostly kids below 5 years of age, RSV is transmitted through respiratory droplets and can infect adults and seniors. An infected person can develop flu-like symptoms, such as fever, colds and severe cough, which are similar to COVID-19.

Patients need only to manage their symptoms as there are no specific treatments for RSV, according to the health official.

“This is contagious even to seniors … because this [illness] is airborne. We need to make our kids healthy and vaccinated to stay protected and keep the vulnerable population safe,” Vergeire said.

The United States has recently been seeing a surge of RSV after the country noted an unusual number of children being sent to hospitals, putting a strain on health-care resources.

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