Shawn Johnson East speaks out on protecting babies from RSV
By Alyx Sacks
Click here for updates on this story
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports a high level of respiratory illness in Iowa. With babies being especially vulnerable to RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, Iowa native Shawn Johnson East is raising awareness about methods of prevention.
Johnson East, an Olympic gold medalist and mother of three, joined a pediatrician to provide advice for parents, inspired by her experience when her two oldest children contracted RSV as babies, leading to her son’s hospitalization.
“It took a really quick turn to where he was struggling to breathe, and so we ended up in the emergency room, which was a very, very scary experience for a mom,” Johnson East said.
The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend the RSV monoclonal antibody treatment Beyfortus for babies under 8 months.
“When I got pregnant with our third, our due date was, like, peak RSV season. I had two babies at home, a bunch people visiting for the holidays,” Johnson East said. “My pediatrician had a really great conversation with me about before this, which gives just an extra line of defense to babies at a young age for their first RSV season, which gave us more confidence going into it.”
Pediatrician Dr. Mona Amin said it’s important for parents to look for warning signs.
“It’s a highly contagious and unpredictable virus that can spread person to person. So, sneezing, coughing, contaminated surfaces. And the reality is that for many of us, it could be a mild cold,” Amin said. “But for some babies, especially those under 1, it can lead to serious lung infections. And so, no baby is too healthy or too strong to get RSV and to also potentially have those serious lung infections.”
Symptoms to look for: runny nose, eating or drinking less, or a cough, which may progress to wheezing or difficulty breathing
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.