(PNA photo by Ben Briones)
MANILA – The Philippines has no recorded deaths due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) from January to Aug. 31, a health official said Friday.
RSV is a common respiratory infection among children under 5 years old which causes mild cold-like symptoms.
“Common siya nangyayari sa mga bata (among children) and even in older adults. It is commonly transmitted through respiratory droplets also,” Department of Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a media briefing.
The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine has a surveillance system for RSV cases nationwide.
“We have identified sentinel hospitals kung saan kumukuha tayo ng datos at mula nung January hanggang (where we get data and from January to) August 31, 2022, we have identified 221 RSV cases in the country among our children and up until now there is no recorded death from this RSV,” she said.
In the United States, RSV hospitalizations among all age groups are rising, especially among young children.
So far, about four out of every 1,000 babies under 6 months old have been hospitalized due to RSV.
While RSV comes with mild symptoms, it can cause severe illness in infants and older adults.
“Because this is virus, viral siya, self-limiting, natatapos rin ‘yung sakit after some time, walang specific na gamot na maibibigay dito (it’s viral, self-limiting, it ends after some time, there is no specific medication for this),” Vergeire said.
“So, kailangan lang po talaga na ang ating mga kabataan maging malusog, mabigyan din po ng mga tama na (our children need to be healthy and be given) preventive measures such as vaccination,” she added. (PNA)
