Hunter New England hospitals treating a surge of RSV cases in kids

New data reveals the Hunter New England health district had more than 210 confirmed cases off RSV reported in the week ending May 27, the third-highest in the state, according to NSW Health.

RSV is a common respiratory infection that affects a person's lungs, nose, and throat. The infection - which can be deadly in kids - is highly contagious as it can spread through droplets in the air from a cough, or runny nose.

"In little children it can be life-threatening. So the swelling of their airtube ... means that children really battle to breathe and so we get a number of these children admitted to hospital or paediatric care," Hunter New England public health physician Dr David Durrheim told the Leader.

State-wide in the same reporting period, there were more than 760 confirmed cases of RSV in children between the ages of zero and four.

The Leader has been told many children are presenting in Tamworth and being admitted for specialist care, or moved to larger hospitals like Newcastle or Sydney for treatment for RSV.

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Dr Durrheim said there has been a state-wide increase, but the Hunter New England is experiencing a higher rate of infection compared to the rest of NSW.

"There seems to be a high burden of illness within the Hunter New England area," he said.

"We've seen in the laboratory testing as well, that the percentage of children in the Hunter New England who have got RSV positive on a lab swab is high in comparison to other parts of the state."

Dr Durrheim said the two main groups most vulnerable to the virus are the elderly and children under the age of four.

"Most children before the age of three or four have actually had an infection. There is unfortunately no vaccine at the moment," he said.

However, the infection can be quite severe for young children and infants under the age of three.

"After any viral infection, whether it's flu or RSV, children can get sick with bacterial infections like pneumonia. It has a knock-on effect on their breathing ... because of the inflammation they can get a secondary bacterial infection that requires antibiotic treatment," Dr Durrheim said.

He said despite the high number of infections this is a common winter pattern.

"It's comes quite early, sometimes the bigger impact is a little bit later in winter, but it is usual for us this time of year to see the peak of RSV," he said

"It often precedes the peak of flu, but there is flu and COVID activity at the moment. So, all three viruses are hitting the NSW population and Hunter New England population at the moment."

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