SALISBURY, Md. - On Friday morning, parents and their children were playing at Ben's Red Swings in Salisbury.
But concerns have been mounting across the country about the spread of the annual flu, and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Cases have been rising across the country, and on Delmarva.
RSV is quite contagious, and tends to spread rapidly in schools.
"The amount of cases we're seeing is slightly higher than average," said Lauren McGovern, M.D., a pediatrician with Tidal Health. "The majority of kids do quite well with it, but there are a small percentage who do have some trouble with it."
Cases of RSV typically increase rapidly in the autumn, with the arrival of cooler weather and children back in school.
This year, though more younger children have been getting the illness.
"We're actually starting to see some toddlers get it this year, which is a little bit atypical and may be contributing to the larger volumes," McGovern said.
RSV, an upper-respiratory tract infection is not a particularly dangerous illness, even in children. But parents should be on the lookout for some of the classic signs, which include cough, congestion, and loss of appetite. The illness can get serious in infants if they lose their appetite and develop breathing trouble.
"The most important thing is that most children who get RSV do quite well," McGovern continued. "The people I want coming to the hospital are the kids who are not eating at all. Parents saying I fed two bottles in a row and I fed less than twenty five percent of their normal."
McGovern mused that there is likely heightened frustration at this respiratory illnesses now that we have three of them ongoing: RSV, flu, and COVID.
"So we have this perfect storm going on that we have all these viruses trying to compete for the attention right now, and they are definitely making their presence known," she said.
Delmarva parents said they were concerned about RSV, but too troubled by it.
"Yes, we're a little concerned about it, it's been going around." said Gerado Rivera of Princess Anne, Md. after taking his daughter for an RSV test (which came back negative).
"We're slightly concerned," said Brandon Campbell of Delmar, Md. "But we're still going to go to the park and have fun. Just like coronavirus, we're still going to live our lives."
Carol Landon, a first grade teacher at the Holly Grove Christian School in Westover, Md., reported that her class hasn't seen many cases of RSV, but has had several cases of flu.
"This year it's flu, its flu B and it usually knocks the kids out for at least a week and they come back sometimes and then they have a relapse, so it's kind of more serious," Landon reported.
Landon also said that her school was continuing an assertive program of cleanliness on campus, a holdover from the COVID pandemic which is finding use as flu makes a return to its usual yearly annoyance.
"In my class, we wipe the desks down all the time, we spray all the time, and we make sure the kids wash their hands constantly," she said. "And we have hand sanitizer everywhere."
Landon had a very important piece of advice for parents of sick children.
"Keep them home. You know, you don't like them missing school, but it's important that they get better before they come back."