Five children are currently receiving care at St. Peter’s Hospital with what officials have identified as respiratory syncytial virus, the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants and children under 1 year of age.

While it may seem like a high number of cases, health officials with the county said Friday that RSV is common this time of year, and there’s little parents can do to protect their children, other than enforce hand-washing.

“It happens every year,” said Beth Cottingham, a public health nurse at the County Health Clinic. “There are kids hospitalized for this every year. You can certainly cut down on the transmission rate by washing your hands.”

Cottingham said children in daycare have typically already had the virus, or become immune to it by the first year of life.

However, premature babies, infants, and children with suppressed immune systems may be more at risk. The majority of children hospitalized for RSV are under 6 months old.

“The symptoms can range from very mild to cold-like symptoms with a cough, or even become life threatening,” Cottingham said. “It’s a virus. There’s no vaccine for it.”

According the CDC, illness often begins with a fever, runny nose and cough, accompanied at times by wheezing.

During the first RSV infection, between 25 and 40 percent of infants and young children have signs or symptoms of bronchiolitis or pneumonia. However, less than 2 percent of children require hospitalization.

“Currently, we’ve got five youngsters admitted with RSV,” said Peggy Stebbins, spokeswoman for St. Peter’s Hospital. “It’s about average for this time of season. Last year, we had no children. But two years ago, we had around 15 children.”

Not all children who become infected require hospitalization, Stebbins said, and some are treated at their local health clinic. What’s more, according to the CDC, most children recover from RSV within 8 to 15 days.

Much like the flu, the timing and severity of the outbreak varies from year to year. The virus is spread from respiratory secretions through contact with infected persons, or contact with contaminated surfaces.

Infection can occur when contaminated material contacts membranes in the eyes, mouth or nose, along with the inhalation of droplets generated by a sneeze or cough.

Because the virus can only survive a few hours outside the body, good hygiene practices using soap or disinfectants can render it inactive.

“The best way to prevent it is by hand washing,” Cottingham said.

Influenza A and a noro-like virus resulting in vomiting and diarrhea are also circulating throughout the community, health officials warned.

As with RSV, the best defense from most infectious diseases is good hand washing practices, Cottingham said.

Reporter Martin Kidston: 447-4086 or mkidston@helenair.com