RSV cases on the rise in Kentucky, Norton Children’s Hospital says

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Norton Children’s is seeing an increasing number of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, cases.

This week, Norton Children’s is averaging 56 new RSV cases a day throughout the state, a 33% increase from last week.

The hospital says they have seen nearly 700 cases diagnosed so far this month alone.

RSV can be deadly in infants and kids with other serious medical conditions.

Officials shared more information about the number of cases.

Dr. Kris Bryant with Norton Children’s Infectious Diseases says, “RSV started a little bit later this year when compared to last year. But we’re seeing a lot of RSV and cases are continuing to go up.”

Norton Children’s Hospital currently has 25 patients admitted for RSV.

RSV is the leading cause of infant hospitalizations in the U.S. each year. More than 58,000 children younger than 5 years old are hospitalized with the infection, according to the CDC.