The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has advised that people with respiratory symptoms “self-isolate at home for 48 hours after resolution of symptoms.”
This is how the European body has pronounced on the occasion of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) outbreaks that have been taking place since the beginning of November in at least 13 European countries, including Spain.
Through a statement, the ECDC has recalled that the general prevention measures for RSV are the same as for most other respiratory viruses, such as cover your nose and mouth when sneezingavoid close contact and regularly wash your hands and use hand sanitizer.
As more drastic measures, they have recommended that children with symptoms do not go to nurseries or school, while in the case of affected adults they indicate that “they should not go to their workplace if they have symptoms.”
In the same way, “and as far as possible”urge that parents of children at high risk of developing severe RSV illness “limit the time the child spends in daycare centers or other potentially contagious settings during periods of high RSV activity.”
Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds and do not touch your face
They also point out that parents should also help their child to avoid close contact with sick people, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and to avoid touching your face with unwashed hands. “These precautions also apply to the elderly,” they added.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a seasonal virus that recurs throughout the year in Europe, with peaks mainly during the autumn months, winter and spring (October to April), and is one of the leading causes of acute lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children.
Worldwide, the virus is estimated to cause 33 million cases and between 66,000 and 199,000 deaths of children under five years of age each year. In the EU, Norway and the United Kingdom, RSV causes an average of 213,000 hospitalizations per year in children under five years of age.
Those over 65 are also at risk
RSV can also cause serious complications and death among adults, particularly those over 65 years of age. Adult hospitalizations in the EU, Norway and the UK average 158,000 per year.
The directors of ECDC, Andrea Ammon, and of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe, and Hans Kluge, as well as the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, warned on October 12 about the risk of the possible cocirculation of RSV and influenza, which increases the pressure on both hospitals and health personnel.
“Therefore, the high levels of RSV circulation that coincide with the peaks of these viruses could add additional pressure to the system,” said Dr. ECDC.
The most common symptoms of RSV are runny nose, decreased appetite, coughing, sneezing, fever, and wheezing. Most RSV infections resolve on their own in one to two weeks, but RSV can also cause more serious infections such as bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small airways in the lung, and pneumonia, an infection of the lungs.
Almost all children are infected with the VRS at two years of age, and reinfections are frequent. Although infection is almost inevitable in most children, the ECDC urges “a special effort to be made to protect premature babies and those under six months of age.”
In addition, the European body has recalled that the Small children who have not had contact with RSV during the COVID-19 pandemic “would be at increased risk of infection.”