Durango School District 9-R has encountered multiple confirmed cases of respiratory syncytial virus within the past two weeks.
The district did not specify a number of cases, but a health team acknowledged a rise in cases in an email on Friday.
Respiratory syncytial virus is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be more serious for infants and older adults. The illness is considered to be the most common cause of bronchiolitis.
Symptoms of respiratory syncytial virus are comparable to those of a common cold and COVID-19. Symptoms include runny nose, fever, coughing, sneezing, decreased appetite and wheezing.
Students with those symptoms require a negative COVID-19 test in order to return to school. COVID-19 tests are accessible to students and parents at 9-R schools.
Director of Student Support Services Vanessa Giddings said it is important for the school to take any increase in illness seriously.
“We have to keep reminding people that just because you don’t have COVID doesn’t mean that you should come to school if you’re having these symptoms, please stay home, take care of yourself and recover,” she said.
After RSV exposure, it can take two to eight days before symptoms start. If students have symptoms relating to either illness, they should notify their school right away.
“RSV is kind of tricky because it has the same symptoms as COVID and it has the same symptoms as basically a cold, but it can be very serious for infants and for older adults. So it’s important to let people know what's going on,” Giddings said.
San Juan Basin Public Health suggest people stay home when sick, wash hands as often as possible, clean and disinfect surfaces, and avoid close contact with people who have cold-like symptoms to stop the spread.
Giddings said it was important for the school district to notify parents because severe RSV infections can lead to pneumonia and bronchiolitis.
“Transmission is pretty high. That's why it’s really important to pay attention to, because it spreads through direct contact and it’s easy to transfer,” she said.
School district medical director Heidi McMillan said it is difficult to give an accurate number of students who have RSV, because its spread is not heavily monitored like COVID-19. McMillan said testing for RSV is often done only for patients who are considered at-risk like infants and older adults.
She said its pretty normal to see RSV cases start ramping up near the winter, but this year she has seen more hospitalizations than normal.
An immunity gap is one of reasons more students are becoming sick with RSV. Efforts to reduce COVID-19 such as masking and social distancing protected students from other viruses but now that students are returning to school with less protection, they have less immunity.
“We’re starting to see the normal viruses that typically circulate come out again and they’re coming out pretty strong because our bodies haven’t seen them for a while and haven’t had the immunity,” McMillan said.
Data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment show there were 43 influenza-associated hospitalizations in the state during first week of November.
McMillan said most pediatricians are not surprised to see those numbers, but the illness should be taken seriously because it can be transferred to those who are at-risk.
“People should be really vigilant about when they’re sick and stay home. Also, always call their doctor if they have any questions about what to do for their child or individual,” she said.
tbrown@durangoherald
