INDIANAPOLIS — Doctors are urging caution in planning holiday gatherings as we approach Thanksgiving next week.
There's growing concern about another surge in RSV infections in children.
So doctors are suggesting specific steps to reduce risk for your family because the consequences can be serious if you don't.
The Dotson family knows firsthand the danger of RSV.
"I've been in the hospital with them day and night," Heidi Dotson said. "Watching them struggle, you know, it's emotional."
Their 9-month-old twins, Ezra and Emmett, both picked up the virus from other kids and ended up in Peyton Manning Children's Hospital.
The young brothers' battle to get well got serious fast.
"Emmett was on the pediatric floor of the ICU. Ezra was on the other end, on a ventilator, his oxygen way down. I think your oxygen is supposed to be between 90 and 100 and at one point, his dipped down to 14," Dotson said. "So you just kind of feel helpless you know? Like, we're on this RSV train but we're not driving it."
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A lot of families are feeling the same way right now. Twenty percent of young patients at Peyton Manning Children's have RSV. In the ICU, nearly half the patients are infected with the virus.
Now, with Thanksgiving approaching and big family gatherings on tap, doctors worry we could see another surge in sickness.
"The slightly older kids give it to the young babies that are at high risk, so getting them all together worries me," said Dr. Christopher Belcher, pediatric infectious disease medical director at the hospital.
RSV is mostly transmitted by touch, so doctors say you don't have to cancel holiday get-togethers. But consider staying home if your babies have existing medical problems. Also, take steps to reduce risk for little ones at the holiday party.
"Not passing around babies. Not having everyone hug and kiss and be on them will help reduce the risk quite a bit," Belcher said. "The fewer number of kids that are together, the less chance for transmission of RSV."
The Dotsons are planning a smaller gathering this year. They also have a lot to be thankful for – their boys are on the mend.
Emmett is now back home and Ezra will be home soon – likely in the next day or so.
But they hope other families take precautions, too, while enjoying the holidays.
"You could very, very quickly go from having a happy snuggly little baby to on a ventilator," Dotson said, "because I got there in three days."