For Immediate Release

October 18, 2006

Mercy Offers Immunization Against Leading Respiratory Illness in Infants

Ardmore — Every year, more than 125,000 babies in the United States are hospitalized with severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — the most common respiratory illness in infants and young children. RSV causes mild, cold-like symptoms that can quickly worsen and become life-threatening in some babies.

Mercy at Home’s maternal/child program offers a vaccination to help protect at-risk children, from newborns to 2-year-olds. The vaccination, called Synagis, is an injection given monthly during RSV season. In southern Oklahoma, RSV runs high from October to April.

For Ardmore’s Victoria McLaine, mother of 17-month-old Dillon, RSV is a serious threat every year. Young Dillon was born with DiGeorge’s syndrome, a congenital syndrome that causes heart defects and a suppressed immune system, among other problems.

“When I heard about the RSV immunization, I called my son’s physician to get more information. The doctor referred us to the maternal/child program through Mercy at Home,” said McLaine. “We didn’t have to leave the house and expose him to possible infection because the Mercy home health nurse came to our house to give Dillon each injection.”

Among the risk factors for RSV are premature birth (with or without lung disease), being born with heart disease, low birth weight, school-age children in the home and a family history of asthma. According to Christi Isaacs, maternal/child coordinator with Mercy at Home, some of the daily tips for protecting your child include: washing your hands before touching your baby, keeping your child away from large crowds, keeping people with colds away from your baby and washing your child’s toys and bedding as often as possible.

“Parents must also be careful not to smoke near their child. Tobacco smoke increases the risk of RSV,” said Isaacs. “There are several at-risk babies and toddlers in this area that would greatly benefit from this vaccination. We want to help educate the parents of high-risk children about RSV and the ways to prevent it.”

To schedule your child for the monthly Synagis injections through Mercy at Home, contact your child’s primary care physician. For more information about Synagis and determining whether your child is at risk, you may contact the Mercy at Home office at (580) 220-6560.

Mercy Memorial Health Center is a member of Mercy Health System of Oklahoma and the Sisters of Mercy Health System.