Normally, the number of infections with the RS virus peaks in the winter. Due to the lockdown, there were hardly any infections in the cold months and that has been postponed. The peak is now unexpectedly in July, according to the hospitals. This is also apparent from figures from the RIVM.
“I’ve never seen this. It is really special that the virus is here now,” says pediatrician and professor of respiratory infections Louis Bont of UMC Utrecht in the Netherlands. NOS Radio 1 News.
RS-virus
RS makes seven hundred victims a day worldwide. The cold virus can spread to the respiratory tract and can be life-threatening. After malaria, infants in developing countries die most often from the RS virus.
Bont organized a conference in Ghana in 2019 to raise awareness of the virus worldwide. “Almost all the parents who come to us at the hospital say they’ve never heard of it,” he said at the time. NOS Radio 1 News.
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epidemic
The virus is especially dangerous for young children. It hides in noses and throats, and can be transmitted by coughing, sneezing and talking. But it can also spread outside the body, for example through hands and toys.
“If an older sibling comes home in the winter with a runny nose, it’s best to wash your hands to prevent contamination,” said Bont. There is no vaccine or treatment for the RS virus yet. That is why little is tested for it and GPs often do not recognize the virus, Bont explained. “That has to change.”
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