A PHARMACIST is campaigning for RSV immunisations for all babies this winter as experts warn of the realities of being hospitalised with the killer virus. Sheena Mitchell is insisting that the government make RSV jabs available to all infants under 12 months before the Dail goes into recess on July 11. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a highly contagious virus that mostly affects young children and the elderly.
In children , the illness can cause bronchiolitis and in some cases even pneumonia. Sheena is urging Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to expand the current plan of RSV immunisation, which only covers babies born from September 1 this year. She said: "I am a frontline healthcare professional who sees the effects of RSV on families, on children who cant have scheduled surgery in the winter months due to a lack of ICU beds and resources.
"We need a wider RSV immunisation rollout this winter funded by the government, the cost to ignore NIAC's recommendations will be far greater than the cost of the jab itself." In her latest podcast episode, Sheena is joined by Dr. Suzanne Crowe, a Paediatric Intensive Care Consultant at CHI Crumlin Children's Hospital .
The health workers discussed the serious consequences of RSV, including the lengthy and challenging ICU treatments required for affected babies. ACCORDING to the HSE, symptoms of an RSV infection start like a cold and can include: Dr. Crowe describes that intensive care for RSV can mean up to three weeks in the hospita.