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C. George Ray, MD

JAMA. 1986;256(19):2728-2729.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Commencing sometime between early November and late March of each year, we see a rapid influx of patients with pneumonia or bronchiolitis into our pediatric inpatient units. This heralds the onset of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season, which invariably lasts from eight to 16 weeks. Our response is to curse the inevitable, enforce compulsive hand-washing procedures, tighten isolation and cohorting policies, and extend surveillance beyond patients to hospital staff with respiratory symptoms. We also attempt to restrict the flow of excessive numbers of visitors to pediatric and neonatal intensive care units and admonish our surgeons to postpone elective admissions of infants until the outbreak has subsided.

Why must these frustrating logistical maneuvers occur every year? Because RSV is by far the most common cause of both community-acquired and nosocomially acquired severe lower respiratory tract disease in infants and young children.¹ Furthermore, the greatest threat is to hospitalized, infected infants . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Arizona Health Sciences Center Tucson

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