News Of the World - totally irresponsible

News Of the World - Online Edition

We had a mum come into work today with this headline ripped out of her Sunday paper, terrified her child was going to die. We all read the article with shock and amazement and a touch of laughter. This is total crap. RSV is a virus. It's proper name is respiratory syncitial Virus. Basically a common cold.
If you or me gets it (which we all have done) we might get a snuffle. But the ones it affects the most are the teeny babies, premature babies, or ones with lung problems. Like all viruses different kids can get it worse than others. Look at Chicken Pox. Danz got it quite mildly but Abby was covered.
Some babies get a touch of RSV some get it worse causing bronchiolitis. The teeny bronchioles in their lungs get inflamed causing them to cough and get wheezy. The odd few may need some oxygen to help them through the worse bit and a tiny proportion get it severely and may need breathing help. But in my unit I think prob one child needed extra help this year. So it's hardly an epidemic. Hospitals cope with it. It's our bread and butter illness in the winter. It's not caused by 'dirty hospitals' FFS it's like a common cold. It just happens. It's certainly not like MRSA. And the only reason wards would close with it, is if they're full which sadly happens a lot these days.
RSV has been around since the year dot. It's very common and certainly not worth getting all hyped up about.
I think we may write to this New of the Screw editor and tell him what we think of his panic style of reporting.