A virologist expressed his concern over an outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes respiratory tract infections in young children.
Dr Yong Poovorawan, head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University said the RSV is spreading among children aged below five years old.
The outbreak occurred after full scale school reopening in September particularly among kindergarten students and transmission has not subsided.
Symptoms of RSV infection include fever, coughing, sneezing and wheezing. It can cause more severe infections such as bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small airways in the lung and pneumonia.
There was neither specific treatment nor vaccine for RSV infection, he said.
Parents and their children could protect themselves from the virus by wearing face masks and washing their hands frequently, he added.
Child care centers and schools should often disinfect toys and items, used by children. They are advised to close if there are many RSV cases in a classroom. (TNA)
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