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CBS Evening News: Hospitals see surge of babies with the respiratory illness RSV


"Every year in the U.S., about 57,000 kids under age 5 need to be treated in hospitals for respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can also lead to as many as 500 deaths per year.

The flu-like virus has babies filling a Milwaukee intensive care unit. That includes Robin and Sarah Komassa's son Colton, who was diagnosed with RSV just before Christmas.

'For you and I, RSV is a common cold virus. For little kids, because their airways and their passages are so small, you fill that up with secretions, suddenly it's very difficult to breathe,' Meyer said."

Michael Meyer, MD, medical director of critical care services, and the Komassa family provided a warning about RSV and tips for prevention during an interview with CBS Evening News. 

See the full story from CBS Evening News.