Canada could see resurgence of life-threatening childhood respiratory virus this summer: report

Canada should expect a resurgence of a potentially fatal childhood respiratory virus as COVID-19 physical distancing measures are relaxed, according to a new report.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is very common, quite contagious, and infects the airways of almost all children before their second birthday.

For most children, symptoms mimic those of a common cold, but the virus can be fatal to anyone with weakened immune systems.

For some, RSV can lead to bronchiolitis – which is inflammation of the lungs – or even pneumonia, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The risk of serious infection is highest for babies born prematurely, children under two years of age born with heart or lung disease, and children with weakened immune systems.

“The problem is babies who have complex medical problems – so heart and lung problems – but other special medical needs can also be very high risk,” said Dr Pascal Lavoie, one of the authors. of the report published Monday in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association.

The report says that for many months, Canada had virtually no cases of RSV infection. Thanks to masking, distancing and hand washing, Canada recorded just 239 cases of RSV during the pandemic, up from nearly 19,000 in 2019.

This means that many pregnant women and infants have been less exposed and, as a result, pediatric immunity levels may be low.

“Every child has spent (their) first year of life without any contact with RSV,” said Dr. Daniel Garros, pediatric intensivist at Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton.

“If mothers haven’t had contact with RSV, they haven’t developed immunity,” he said.

“They didn’t have the immunity to pass through breast milk, so what’s going on? These babies will be more sensitive and there will be more babies with RSV. “

With the relaxation of public health measures around the world, some countries are experiencing a peak. Australia and the United States have seen a resurgence in RSV cases alongside the decrease in COVID-19 physical distancing measures, according to the report.

It is also not a unique disease: children can contract it several times during their life.

“We know that immunity to these viruses is short-lived, so having not been exposed to these viruses for a year, we believe the antibodies may have decreased in the general population,” Lavoie said.

The report’s authors said Canada should also expect a similar resurgence this summer, which could stretch resources in pediatric intensive care units across Canada.

“The United States started to see a resurgence of RSV in the summer, which is very unusual,” Lavoie said.

“We just want doctors to be prepared to watch for this virus because we are not used to seeing this virus in the summer. “

Symptoms to watch out for: difficulty breathing, cough that produces yellow, green, or gray mucus, being unusually upset or inactive, and signs of dehydration, such as lack of tears when crying or little or no urine in the diaper

There is no vaccine for RSV, although research has been ongoing for many years.

News that the virus could make a resurgence worries Edmonton mom Corinna Heppner.

Her five year old son Rossy Hipkin was born with severe scoliosis and congenital multiplex osteoarthritis (CMA), a rare neuromuscular disease that can drastically reduce the mobility of joints and muscles.

2:49Albertan boy born in “C” shape receives personalized wheelchair

The disorder affects almost every part of Rossy’s body, including the weakening of his heart and lungs, organs particularly susceptible to RSV.

In fact, Rossy had RSV when he was a year old and was hospitalized for a week. That’s why her mother is so scared.

” It’s terrifying. I don’t even want to think about what would happen if he got something like this (again), ”Heppner said.

She said that each year the family worried about the cold and flu season as it is.

“Last year ended up being one of our healthiest years because there were masks, there were all these precautions.

Heppner said 2020 was one of the most normal years they’ve ever lived, as the family was already functioning inside a bubble: “Now everyone was in the same boat, so the pandemic was actually quite easy for us. “

“So for this year, now that we have nothing left, that means we have to be even more careful than we already are.”

“We’ve been avoiding the hospital for a while now, and I really hope we can continue to do so,” Heppner added.

RSV is the leading cause of infant hospitalization globally and in Canada, according to University of Alberta virologist David Marchant.

Garros said only about four percent of children with RSV need hospitalization, and of those, 10 percent need intensive care.

That said, the Stollery’s pediatric intensive care unit is considering giving preventive antibody treatments to high-risk babies earlier than usual this year and is warning families to be careful.

Garros said if someone in a home with a baby develops cold symptoms this summer, they should treat it the same as COVID-19: wear a mask, distance themselves from other household members, don’t send their children to school where they could infect immunocompromised children like Rossy and practice good hygiene.

“RSV is spread by droplets, but it is also spread by contact, so we have to be very careful with washing our hands. “

– With files from Su-Ling Goh and Caley Ramsay, Global News