Cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have been prevailing among children in Shanghai in recent days, with the proportion diagnosed with RSV surpassing those of COVID-19 and influenza, due to expanded area of human activities after China downgraded COVID-19 management, medical experts noted.
RSV, a virus that causes similar symptoms to those caused by COVID-19 and influenza, including fever, coughing, sore throat and pains in muscles, has caused panic among parents in Shanghai recently for the sufferings it causes to their children, with many parents sharing their children’s struggle with the disease online, including severe cough, attack of asthma and pneumonia, Shanghai Observer reported on Sunday.
According to Cao Qing, director of infectious disease from Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, the proportion of children admitted to the hospital with RSV has surpassed that of COVID-19 and influenza, with half showing the symptom of wheezing.
However, experts also noted that RSV is a self-limited disease which can be dealt with by common treatment and parents do not need to panic.