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Tucson Mother Warns Others After Her 1-year Old Spent Week Hospital With Respiratory Virus

TUCSON, ARIZ. (KVOA)-  It's a parent's biggest fear watching your child fight for their life in a hospital bed and it happened at Banner University Medical Center.

Ann experience Isabel Fierros said she and her 1-year-old daughter had to go through after her baby caught RSV.

It started off as a simple cough and quickly taking a turn for the worse.

"One time we were at the store and my husband noticed the retraction in her ribs was getting really bad she was breathing rapid and that was our sign she needed to go to the ER," Fierros said.

On Dec. 17, Fierros said her daughter Elena was taken to the emergency room where she tested positive for RSV. A playful and smart little girl once full of life was bound to an oxygen machine to help her breath.

"We were very scared, she's our first baby girl."

Pima County Health Department said the illness is common during this time of year, but data shows there's been a significant uptick of respiratory viruses in the county.

"We look at what normally happened in the last 5 years and what we see is a fairly significant increase in both Flu and RSV at the current time," Dr. Theresa Cullen said.

The health department said the uptick could be a result of poor hygiene practices and low vaccination rates. The CDC reporting our state being one of the lowest for vaccinations in the country and when we asked Isabel if she would consider vaccinating her daughter after her experience she said, yes.

"I would if I know it's safe and I would do anything in my power to protect my daughter from that horrible sickness again." 

Baby Elena was released from the hospital on Christmas Eve and Isabel said Banner gave her a big bag of toys to go home with. 

To find out where you can get vaccinated, visit the CDC website here.

Flu, COVID, RSV Hospitalizations Up Across The Country; Local Health Experts Urge Caution

ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — No one likes getting sick, but especially over the holidays when there's often travel and gatherings with family and friends. That's why medical experts are urging people to take the necessary precautions.

Nationwide, more and more people are being hospitalized for respiratory illnesses including flu, COVID, and RSV.

"In the winter times, a lot of respiratory viruses start to increase in terms of their spread," said Dr. Andrew Pekosz, professor and vice chair in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "It's troubling that we're seeing increased hospitalizations from influenza and COVID-19 while vaccination rates are falling."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that over the last 4 weeks, hospitalizations have increased among all age groups - 200% for influenza, 51% for COVID-19, and 60% for RSV.

"There are actually a lot of respiratory viruses going around. So just because you test negative for COVID, if you're still feeling sick, you're probably infected with something whether it be flu or RSV or another respiratory virus," said Virologist Pekosz. "So the general guidance is, you know, if you're starting to feel bad, take the time out. Maybe don't go to those holiday parties. Stay away from your family gatherings. I know that's difficult to hear. But with many of these viruses, as soon as you start to feel symptoms, you can already spread the virus."

Getting vaccinated and using masks can provide extra protection.

"Northeast is just starting to pick up right now, in terms of influenza, and COVID cases," said Pekosz. "Cases of RSV have been high for a couple of weeks, and they're starting to stabilize and sometimes dropped down. But again, just because case numbers are starting to drop down doesn't mean we're home-free. Because case numbers are still pretty high for all three of those viruses."

7News reached out to multiple hospitals across the DMV to get a better idea of local hospitalization numbers. Most have not responded as of publishing this article.

Johns Hopkins Medicine did respond with data from hospitals in Maryland and D.C. The following is from centers including The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Sibley Memorial Hospital, Suburban Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center:

Within the Md./D.C. Hospitals, hospitalizations for COVID, influenza, and RSV have jumped over the past 10 days from around 2-3 per day in the beginning of December to averaging more than 8 per day. That number is rising. Positive cases have also increased at both testing in the hospitals, emergency departments, and outpatient settings. That number is also rising with around 13 a day in the beginning of December to now more than 50 per day.

Click here to find numbers from the CDC on Md., Va., and D.C.

Rise In Respiratory Illnesses Prompts Precautions, Hospital Visitor Restrictions In Place

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