BOISE -- Under siege by RSV, a local doctor says a respiratory virus affecting both young and old has hit the Treasure Valley hard.
The numbers are startling. We're told at Saint Luke's in Boise three out of four kids hospitalized have RSV.
And with mortality rates similar to the flu, doctors want to see this current spike start to fall.
This is a virus that all of us can get.
For adults it’s a cough and a cold. But for infants, toddlers and the elderly, it can turn into pneumonia and has the potential to become deadly.
RSV usually makes its way into the Treasure Valley during the winter months, late December through March.
This year, Dr. Ted Epperly with Family Medicine Residency of Idaho, says doctors are seeing at least a 20 percent increase in patients.
That is mostly due to a sharp rise in cases of RSV, which are up significantly over last year.
Parents with young kids should be on the watch for the following signs of RSV -- cough, fever, shortness of breath, wheezing and pneumonia.
For adults it's a sore throat, runny eyes, runny nose and bronchitis.
With this illness being potentially deadly, here's what Dr. Epperly says parents should look for when deciding whether to take your child to the hospital.
"The tale tell signs for a child would be if they are getting so short of breath that they are turning blue or they have apnea, which means there are periods of time where they are not breathing," said Dr. Epperly.
As for preventative measures, Dr. Epperly says that the single best thing you can do is wash your hands and sanitize.
He says our eyes, nose and mouth are how we contract the virus.
Doctors say RSV usually runs its course in about a week.
In addition to washing and sanitizing, avoiding other people while you're sick is another good idea.
