Girl, 3, Battles 'Absolutely Horrible' Case Of RSV As Infections Surge In CT

CONNECTICUT — A surge in RSV infections in Connecticut is filling up pediatric beds to capacity, sending parents and their sick children scrambling across the state to find medical care.

An RSV infection sent Ulla De Prodocini, 3, to three different medical centers, including two hospitals, over the course of several days. A GoFundMe campaign was established to help the family with medical bills and lost wages.

Ulla, who has asthma, got sick around Nov. 1 and by Nov. 3 she had a fever of 104 degrees, rapid breathing and lethargy, her mother Ali De Prodocini told Patch.

“This round of RSV is absolutely horrible,” DeProdocini said“She’s even had it before and was still so ill the second time.”

An at-home nebulizer treatment with albuterol didn't help. Ulla's mom noticed "sucking" under her ribs and clavicle, a sign that a child is having difficulty breathing.

An on-call doctor advised De Prodocini to take Ulla to the hospital. There was a four-hour wait at the nearest children's ER, De Prodocini said. She took Ulla to Connecticut Children's Medical Center urgent care, where she got another round of albuterol and two steroids, but her condition didn’t change.

Related: RSV Cases Rise In CT: 5 Things To Know

Ulla was put on oxygen and transferred to Connecticut Children's Hospital in Hartford, where she was admitted, but stayed in an ER room since inpatient beds were at capacity.

Her oxygen level was around 90 percent with oxygen, and dropped to as low as 83 percent when she laid on her right side or took off her mask for a quick drink of water, De Prodocini said.

Ulla was then transferred to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury the next afternoon and stayed there until the following day when her condition improved enough for her to go home.

The ordeal kept Ulla out of preschool for more than a week, and De Prodocini and her husband had to take a lot of time off of work to care for their three children.

Stories like Ulla's are becoming more common in Connecticut and across the country as an unusual surge of RSV activity sickens children. The virus is common, and often causes mild cold-like symptoms, but it can severely affect some children.

RSV activity started ramping up in September and has shot up dramatically since October, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. There were more than 270 cases detected with PCR testing during the last week of October, which was the highest on record this season. The positive PCR test rate was 16.5 percent in the latest three-week average.

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center is still inundated with patients and many children have to wait for beds because the hospital is at capacity, according to CT Insider. Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital is also busy treating RSV patients.

Another GoFundMe was launched in October to help a Connecticut family whose infant daughter fell seriously ill with RSV. Lillianna was put into ICU care and one of her lungs collapsed, according to the GoFundMe page.

Flu infections picking up, could add more stress to system

Flu activity is high in Connecticut, according to the CDC. More than 8 percent of emergency room visits were for the week ending Oct. 22, which is the latest data available from the state Department of Public Health.

Fairfield County is being hit the hardest by the flu, with 73.95 cases per 100,000 people for the current season.

Between 7,000 and 28,000 children under 5 have been hospitalized with flu each year in the U.S. since 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children with certain chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and nervous system disorders are at higher risk for hospitalization. Children under 5 and especially under 2 are more likely to be hospitalized as well.

The CDC recommends children 6 months and older get an annual flu shot.

COVID-19 activity stable

The latest DPH figures showed little change in COVID-19 activity in Connecticut. There were 2,464 weekly cases reported Thursday, and the positive test rate dropped slightly.