RSV: Is this just the beginning?

Overflow tents to help treat rising cases of RSV aren't out of the question in Colorado.

There have been more than 500 cases of respiratory syncytial virus reported in the Denver metro since the beginning of October - most of them children. About one-fifth of those have led to hospitalizations. Experts warn there's no way to predict when the surge will slow and are urging parents to take precautions. 

"It's very hard to predict when the end is in sight because what concerns us is the number of patients that we're seeing in the hospital. We usually see those numbers in December, and we haven't even hit the height of the flu season," said Dr. Brett Leggett,  director of in-patient pediatrics at Denver Health.

Leggett pays attention to the new numbers but right now expects them to be rising weekly. 

"What we really need to do is to ration resources so that our emergency room beds are there for those kids who need us the most. Otherwise, we may not be able to accommodate them," said Leggett. 

It's a tiring subject, but Leggett said the pandemic created the perfect storm for an unusual RSV season. 

"We are at capacity routinely. That means we do not have enough beds and nurses and doctors in the emergency departments, and we don't have them in the hospital," he continued. "Once we pulled back on those [COVID-19] protections, all the viruses came flooding in and over the last few years, a lot of hospitals have had to close their pediatric beds because of Medicaid reimbursement rates." 

Leggett says it's no longer financially feasible to keep pediatric units open in many hospital settings. 

"So, between not having enough pediatric facilities, not having enough nurses and going back into COVID precautions, it was the perfect storm," said Leggett. 

The number one piece of advice? Don't panic. Most children will recover.

"I have a 2-year-old, her name is Gracie and she's been hospitalized three times in the last year for RSV," said Erin Porteus. 

Initially, Porteus couldn't tell her daughter had anything beyond a runny nose.

"I thought it looked like a normal cold, and I was one of those parents that was honestly waiting too long and thought oh 'I think she'll get through this,' but as she progressed, I could visually see that she was having a hard time breathing," said Porteus. 

All three times, Gracie landed in the pulmonary unit of Children's Hospital Colorado. Fortunately, Colorado has some of the nation's top experts when it comes to RSV. 

"After the second hospitalization and by the third they had identified that she really is a kid with asthma," said Porteus. 

Gracie finally has her full lung capacity back. While the asthma diagnosis didn't help her get better faster, it helped the Porteus family make plans for flu season. 

"We have had to take things in stride," Porteus chuckled. 

Some events she won't go to when her kids are sick. She knows how to watch for Gracie's drop in appetite and attitude. She also knows if Gracie gets sick again, she will be in good hands. 

"We have the healthcare professionals to help us along the way," said Porteus. "I think that RSV is something that just lives out there until it happens to you and when you have a child who has suffered from RSV, you then become an advocate." 

Healthcare professionals say flu shots are crucial to keeping beds open for children who need them, as well as staying up to date with the latest information on RSV from the state: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/flu-rsv