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Parents and carers are being offered practical health advice as common winter bugs and viruses continue to circulate in the community, with the Southern Trust's paediatric team highlighting the particular danger posed by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to young babies.
Dr Julie Lewis, Consultant Paediatrician, explained that children's wards are often full of babies with RSV at this time of year. RSV can develop into bronchiolitis, a severe lung infection which is dangerous in babies and can lead to them needing intensive care treatment. Bronchiolitis is the most common reason for babies being admitted to hospital, responsible for one in six admissions.
The good news is that there is now a vaccine available for pregnant women to protect their babies from RSV, which can be given after 28 weeks. Dr Lewis pointed to a Scottish study showing that getting the RSV vaccine more than two weeks before birth resulted in a 72% reduction in babies being admitted with RSV bronchiolitis. Flu and whooping cough vaccines in pregnancy will also protect babies.
"Vaccination remains one of the safest, most effective ways to prevent serious illness and protect vulnerable groups, like infants from critical consequences. I urge all pregnant women and parents to avail of vaccination programmes offered, which are vital to protecting mothers and children from an early age," she said.
Dr Lewis acknowledged that it can be difficult to know when a child needs to see a health professional, and how sick is too sick. She recommended using Symptom Checker as a useful resource and encouraged parents to familiarise themselves with trusted websites like NIDirect, Healthier Together or the Southern Trust where sound information on common symptoms like rashes, fever, diarrhoea and vomiting can be found. Parents can also download the BabyCheck APP from the Lullaby Trust.
For urgent but not life threatening symptoms, parents can call the Phone First service on 0300 123 3111, which operates Monday to Friday 9am to 9pm (excluding bank holidays), and will direct them to the most suitable service.
"Most importantly – if you feel your child has very serious symptoms, that cannot wait, please do not delay in bringing them to either Daisy Hill Hospital or Craigavon Area Hospital emergency departments where we have a paediatric team 24/7 or call 999 if you think they have an immediately life threatening condition," Dr Lewis added.
The Trust is sharing health care tips and information on how to recognise and deal with common childhood symptoms across its social media pages throughout the winter period.
