RSV, usually a winter virus, is hospitalizing babies in the summer

Ellee Gonzales, a first-time mom, says she and her husband Clayton got lucky with 4-month-old Major.

"He's always been a mellow, easygoing baby," Gonzales says.

So, in late June, when Major started coughing, his mom, a foster coordinator for the rescue PAWS Atlanta, says she was not really worried, at least at first.

"I thought it was going to be a cold, because he'd started daycare a few weeks before that," Gonzales says.

Baby boy strapped into car seat smiles.

Major Gonzales, almost 4-months-old, was hospitalized for 5 days at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding with complications of RSV.

But, by July Fourth, she says, Major was running a fever and his cough was getting worse.

He also seemed to be having trouble breathing.

"It felt like it came out of nowhere," Gonzales says.

Baby in jumpy chair looks at the camera.

Major Gonzales, almost 4-months-old, was hospitalized for 5 days at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding with complications of RSV.

They brought Major to a pediatric urgent care, where they performed a nasal swab to test for several respiratory viruses.

Major was negative for flu, and negative for COVID-19, but positive for RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, a common virus that typically causes cold-like symptoms.

A young mom smiles while taking a selfie with her 3-month-old son in her lap.

Major Gonzales, almost 4-months-old, was hospitalized for 5 days at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding with complications of RSV.

"And, by 8 o'clock that night, we were going to the emergency room, because his breathing had gotten so scary,' she says.

Children's Medical Group pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu says RSV is usually a wintertime virus, but that has changed over the last couple of years.

"We're seeing RSV all year round, we're seeing flu all year round," Dr. Shu says.  "And, I'm seeing kids who have zero medical problems end up in the hospital or ICU with RSV."

A young baby with a feeding tube in nose leans back against his mothers chest in the hospital.

Major Gonzales, almost 4-months-old, was hospitalized for 5 days at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding with complications of RSV.

But why a wintertime virus in the heat of summer?

"Part of it is that people are getting out more and mixing more," Dr. Shu says.  "The other thing is that COVID-19 was kind of crowding out all of the other viruses, that could be a reason. And, for children, RSV can cause more serious asthma-like symptoms that wouldn't disturb an older child or an adult."

Major Gonzales developed bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small airways of his lungs.  

A baby with RSV sits in his mother's lap in the hospital. He has a feeding tube and an oxygen tube taped to his nose.

Major Gonzales, almost 4-months-old, was hospitalized for 5 days at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding with complications of RSV.

Within hours of testing positive for RSV, he was admitted to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding.

That was a Monday night.

"By Tuesday morning they were talking about possibly having to go to the ICU," his mother says.  "He was on high flow oxygen, 10 liters of oxygen, for Tuesday, Wednesday and most of Thursday. That's the most that you can have outside the ICU."

What happened to Major is typical, Dr. Shu says.

She says RSV in younger babies usually starts with a cough, then a fever, then breathing problems.

"So they can breathe really fast," Shu says.  "Their chest will cave in and out really fast, something called retraction."

Gonzales says she could see Major's nostrils flaring, as he was struggling for air.

"They do what is called a 'head bob,' where, every breath, his head moves, he's working really hard to breathe, and that's what made this so scary," she says.

Dr. Shu says babies with RSV will sometimes make grunting noises, a sign they cannot get enough air into their lungs.

After 4 days on oxygen with supportive care, Major Gonzales turned a corner.

A baby boy laughs at the camera as his mom takes a photo. He's lying with his back on a blanket.

Major Gonzales, almost 4-months-old, was hospitalized for 5 days at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding with complications of RSV.

It has been 3 weeks since they were able to leave the hospital.

"He's smiling and laughing and playing, whereas when we first got home, he just napped all day," Gonzales says.

Gonzales says she is grateful her sweet, easy baby is feeling like himself again.

"He's much better, he's back to his happy self," she says.