LYNN, Mass. — Concerns about Respiratory Syncytial Virus are on the rise in Massachusetts after a young child from Lynn died from the viral infection.
The family of Grayson Moth, 5, told Boston 25 that their son’s symptoms started with a runny nose and a cough last Friday. His health then rapidly deteriorated to the point where he stopped breathing.
Grayson was rushed to Salem Hospital, where he was revived and left on life support, his family said. The boy passed away over the weekend.
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State health officials said RSV is common in infants and kids, causing up to 80,000 hospitalizations annually among children under 5 years of age nationwide, but Chief Infection Control Officer at Tufts Medical Center, Dr. Shira Doron, called Moth’s death “extremely rare.”
“Age 5 to 49 is the lowest risk group. There was a study spanning 18 years of data, and in that study, there were 59 deaths of people 5 to 49,” Doron told Boston 25′s Morning News show. “Now, compare that to 49 deaths in just those under age 1 over 18 years, and more than 2,000 in people over 65.”
While most kids with RSV can be managed at home by their parents, signs that infants and children need to be evaluated by a healthcare provider include struggling to breathe, inability to eat or drink, lethargy, or being inconsolable, according to Doron.
State health officials noted that newborns, young infants, and children with chronic medical conditions are at the highest risk of severe illness. Doron said that there are steps parents can take to limit that severity.
“Since everyone is going to get respiratory infections again and again, pay attention to your underlying health. Optimize your chronic diseases. Focus on good nutrition, sleep, exercise, and stress management. Good hand hygiene can help prevent respiratory infections. If you’re high-risk and you want to take that extra step, a high-quality and well-fitting mask can protect you to some extent,” Doron explained.
A GoFundMe has been established to help cover the costs of Grayson’s funeral services.
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