Breathing easy this winter

​While we’ve been so focused on COVID this winter, another virus has crept into our Christchurch community. Respiratory syncytial virus or RSV has been working its way through early childhood centres, preschools and primary schools, causing serious harm.

​What is RSV?

​Much like a cold, symptoms of RSV include a runny nose, coughing, sneezing, shortness of breath and a mild fever. Everyone is at risk of RSV, but for older children and most adults, you’ll be fine after a couple of days wrapped in a blanket on your couch.

For babies, toddlers and young children, it’s a different story.

Because babies and infants are still growing their airwaves and developing their immunity, RSV can cause severe problems. In some cases, RSV can lead to more serious illnesses like bronchiolitis, which is the narrowing of airways in infants, and pneumonia. Either way, babies who catch RSV will probably need hospital level care.

​Why does Christchurch have RSV?

​Because of our Alert Level 4 lockdown last year and closed borders, we’ve had less exposure to illness. In some cases, our collective immunity has fallen because we’re reducing the spread of disease. Unfortunately, this means when a local variant rises up, it can spread quickly around Christchurch. This is exactly what RSV has done.

​How bad is Christchurch’s RSV outbreak?

​On July 6th 2021, four surgeries had to be postponed because there were so many children needing urgent care. On July 12th 2021, 394 people went to the Christchurch Hospital Emergency Department, 61 of those with a respiratory illness. July 18th saw another 340 people visit the emergency department, 60 of those with respiratory illness. These are big numbers and they’re not showing any sign of slowing down.

​Does your child have RSV?

Parents and caregivers should seek urgent medical advice if your child has symptoms and:

•  is under three months old;
•  is breathing fast, noisily or using extra effort to breathe;
•  looks pale and unwell;
•  is taking less than half their normal feeds;
•  is vomiting;
•  has not had a wet nappy for more than six hours.

Contact Healthline

​Parents and caregivers should call 111 for an ambulance if a child:
 has blue lips and tongue;
 has severe difficulty breathing;
 is becoming very sleepy and not easy to wake up;
 is very pale;
 is floppy;
 has breathing that is not regular, or pauses in breathing.

​What more can we do in Christchurch about RSV?

​We all know the message: If you’re feeling sick, please stay home. This should be expanded to, if your baby or toddler is feeling sick, please keep them home from preschool, kindergarten, or early childhood care. 

Keeping sick children at home reduces the spread of the illness, takes pressure off Christchurch Hospital’s Emergency Department, and helps kids recover faster. It’s also a fact that warm, dry homes reduce the spread of diseases and help kids to be healthy and happy. 

As well as keeping Christchurch homes warm, heat pumps circulate and filter the air in your home. Some filters in the latest Mitsubishi Electric heat pumps actively kill bacteria in the air. Homes that are warm, dry, and have circulating clean, fresh air are less likely to become hot spots for winter colds and illness. 

Let’s work together to help make Christchurch RSV free. If you’d like a warmer, drier, healthier home, contact Heat Pumps NOW for a free quote and consultation.

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