Houston is reportedly experiencing an outbreak of RSV, putting parents on alert

Dr. Shelley Korones listens to an infants heart in the NICU at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn., Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007. This infant was suffering from an abnormal heart. A 2002 federal report put Memphis at the top of the list for infant deaths in American cities: 692 dead babies over a four-year span, a rate of more than 15 deaths for every 1,000 births, more than twice the U.S. average. (AP Photo/Greg Campbell)

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Houston is seeing an uptick in cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, according to numbers from the organization RSVAlert.

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According to click2houston.com, babies are particularly susceptible to this virus, reportedly affecting nearly all babies by the age of 2.

Experts say it leads to hospitalization for many babies during their infancy and earlier years.

RSVAlert said the number of confirmed cases of RSV in Texas remains positive after registering the trend two weeks in a row, and the numbers are also high in Houston, according to data collected from local hospitals.

Health officials say the virus usually circulates from Fall to Spring, though this can vary by region; symptoms parents should look for include coughing or wheezing, bluish color around the lips, mouth or fingernails, rapid, difficult or gasping breaths and a fever.

If RSV is not treated, doctors with the Centers for Disease Control say it can develop into a more serious infection, so catching the virus early is important.

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