Right before Christmas, my toddler tested positive for RSV. Oof. Being sick for Christmas is no fun.
What we really didn't want is for it to spread to our baby. It's their first RSV season, so they're in the risk group for RSV.
What did we do and how did we fare? 1/🧵
What we really didn't want is for it to spread to our baby. It's their first RSV season, so they're in the risk group for RSV.
What did we do and how did we fare? 1/🧵
The odds weren't looking good. 24 out of 25 under 1s in this study tested positive for RSV after having someone in the household test positive for it within the past 10 days.
Were we going to be the lucky one in 25 that avoided it? 2/ academic.oup.com/aje/article/19…
Were we going to be the lucky one in 25 that avoided it? 2/ academic.oup.com/aje/article/19…
To prevent RSV spread, we didn't leave it up to chance. We took airborne and fomite precautions because from my research it seems as though it can transmit both ways.
Concretely, what did we do? 3/
Concretely, what did we do? 3/
We separated and conquered. My husband took care of the sick toddler and I took care of the baby in another room. This ensured the two were isolated from each other, which eliminated airborne spread possibility, and reduced fomite. 4/
We didn't let the baby go or touch things the toddler did and vice versa. This nearly eliminated fomite spread between them.
We also needed to ensure we didn't get sick, so we wouldn't have to prevent RSV spread from us to the baby. 5/
We also needed to ensure we didn't get sick, so we wouldn't have to prevent RSV spread from us to the baby. 5/
So, we masked around the toddler with FFP2s and FFP3s, tested to make sure we weren't asymptomatic but carrying RSV, and made sure the place was well ventilated/air filtered.
We also tested the toddler to see when they were negative to be able to end the isolation. 6/
We also tested the toddler to see when they were negative to be able to end the isolation. 6/
It's been 12 days since our toddler tested positive for RSV and 8 days since negative.
No one else in the family has tested positive or had symptoms. It's safe to say we prevented our baby from catching RSV! 🥳🥳🥳 Success!
We did it by following the science available ⬆️ 7/
No one else in the family has tested positive or had symptoms. It's safe to say we prevented our baby from catching RSV! 🥳🥳🥳 Success!
We did it by following the science available ⬆️ 7/
What also helped was having these multiple virus antigen testers and testing the toddler as soon as they had illness symptoms, in this case a fever came first. This allowed us to reduce the chances of transmission ASAP. 8/
Thanks to everyone who worried about our toddler. They only had one lousy day. Otherwise, they were just bored and annoyed at coughing. Thankfully, we never had to consider seeking medical attention for them. 🙏🏼 9/
If you or a loved one is in a similar situation, trying to prevent an infant catching RSV from a household member, I hope this thread helps. 10/10
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