Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Page A-5
Key facts about respiratory syncytial virus
Understanding RSV
and keeping it away from
your holidays
RSV is a common respiratory
virus that causes cold-like symptoms
in children and adults.
Severe RSV can be
unpredictable and is the leading cause
of hospitalization in infants
Adults 65 and over and adults
with chronic conditions or weakened
immune systems are at high risk for
developing severe RSV.
People do not form long-lasting
immunity to RSV and can become
infected repeatedly over their lifetime.
What causes RSV?
RSV is spread from person
to person through close contact
with someone who is infected via
secretions from coughing and sneezing
or touching objects such as toys or
doorknobs that have the virus on them.
It takes between two and eight
days from the time of exposure for
someone to become ill. The illness
normally lasts three to seven days, and
it is during this time that those infected
are most contagious. The peak season
for RSV infection in the United States
is fall through spring.
Who is at risk for RSV?
Most children contract RSV
before age two simply because of
contact with other children. Being
in crowded places with people who
may be infected or having exposure to
other children or siblings who may be
infected are common ways to pick up
the virus.
Those at increased risk of RSV
becoming severe or life-threatening
are:
-All infants or young
Nifty Tidbits:
Originally printed in
the March 12, 2003
edition of the Illinois Valley News
With the recent warmer, dry weather,
some plants are coming out of their winter
dormant periods. Some people, like me,
are beginning to think that it’s time to start
digging in the dirt to start the new garden
season. It seems that digging around in the
dirt will make spring come sooner, at least
it doesn’t slow it down any. This year it
would probably be better for the soil if we
had more rain and cooler temperatures to put
more snow in the mountains.
Soil is an amazing substance.
It’s made of tiny pieces of rocks called
sediments. It also needs to have some water,
minerals, and dead organic material. Good
soil also contains a great variety of living
organisms, most of which can not be seen
without a microscope. Bacteria and fungi are
children born prematurely, with
congenital heart or lung disease,
weakened immune systems or have
neuromuscular disorders.
-Older adults suffering from
lung or heart disease, such as asthma,
congestive heart failure, or chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD)
-People with immunodeficiency,
such as organ transplant recipients,
chemotherapy patients or HIV/AIDS
patients
What are the symptoms of
RSV?
Initial signs of RSV are similar
to mild cold symptoms, including
congestion, runny nose, fever, cough
and sore throat. Very young infants
may be irritable, fatigued and have
breathing difficulties. Normally these
symptoms will clear up in a few days.
A barking or wheezing cough
can be one of the first signs of a more
serious illness. In these instances,
the virus has spread to the lower
respiratory tract, causing inflammation
of the small airways entering the
lungs. This can lead to pneumonia or
bronchiolitis.
Infants with severe RSV
will have short, shallow and rapid
breathing. This can be identified by
“caving-in” of the chest in between
the ribs and under the ribs (chest
wall retractions), “spreading-out” of
the nostrils with every breath (nasal
flaring), and abnormally fast breathing.
In addition, their mouth, lips and
fingernails may turn a bluish color due
to lack of oxygen.
How RSV is diagnosed?
Because mild RSV symptoms
are similar to the common cold, testing
usually isn’t required to diagnose the
infection. However, your doctor may
suspect RSV based on your medical
history, time of year and a physical
exam. In this case, they may want to
run lab tests to confirm the diagnosis.
The most common is a mouth swab or
a blood test to check white blood cell
counts and look for viruses.
In severe RSV cases that require
hospitalization, additional testing may
be needed. Imaging tests, such as a
chest X-ray or CT scan can check
for lung complications. Blood and
urine cultures may be necessary when
infants are very sick, as RSV-related
bronchiolitis can occur with a urinary
tract infection in newborns.
SEE RSV ON A-6
by Chuck Rigby
very abundant and most useful in helping
to decompose dead organisms into useable
nutrients which plants can absorb. This
process puts vital chemicals back into the
living cycle once again. Also assisting with
this decay process are nematodes, which are
microscopic worms which also can be found
as parasites in most living things.
Among the visible living organisms
in the soil are grubs, or beetle larvae and
earthworms. Earthworms are a reliable
indicator of good soil because worms need
the same ingredients that flowers, fruits, and
vegetables require. Worms need moisture,
but not too much or they can’t breathe.
This is why sidewalks and asphalt become
covered with worms after a heavy rain. They
are coming to the surface to get more oxygen
and many can’t find their way back to the
soil again. They obtain oxygen directly
through their skin, and oxygen dissolved
in a little water will pass through the skin
directly into their blood system. Carbon
dioxide is released in the same manner.
Worms also need dirt that is not
too compact or too sandy in order for them
to move about freely. Worms are great
cultivators which then allows plant roots
to extend more easily through the loosened
soil. Another requirement of worms is humus
or dead organic matter. As with plants, this
is their source of nutrients. As they eat their
way through the soil, their digestive system
extracts the needed chemicals and then the
excreted material also fertilizes the soil for
plants. Therefore worms and good gardens
go together hand in No, they do not have
hands or feet either but they do have little
bristles that can be extended out through the
body wall so that robins have to work for
their lunch.
Lumbricus terrestrius is their
scientific name, and it comes from
“lumbricus” which is Latin for earthworm
and “terra” which is Latin for earth or
ground. Therefore the name means the
earthworm that lives in the ground, a
very sensible name I think. They have
rather complex body systems and are
usually studied in biology classrooms. The
circulatory system is composed of arteries,
veins, and capillaries, along with multiple
tubes called hearts which circulate blood
throughout the body. Earthworms are
hermaphroditic, which means they have
both male and female sex organs in the same
individual. The white band, about one third
of the body from the head, is called the
clitellum and produces a mucous bag which
hold the fertilized eggs until they are ready
to open.
The lowly earthworm is very vital
to maintaining good soil in a garden. They
are also a vital source of food for robins,
moles and other animals. Studies are
being conducted to determine their value
in breaking down toxic materials in soil
pollution problems. Be kind to worms.
Today in History: The Associated Press
Today is Wednesday,
Dec. 21, the 355th day of
2022. There are 10 days left in
the year. Winter begins at 4:48
p.m. EST.
Today’s Highlight in
History:
On Dec. 21, 1864,
during the Civil War,
Union forces led by Maj.
Gen. William T. Sherman
concluded their “March to
the Sea” as they captured
Savannah, Georgia.
On this date:
In 1620, Pilgrims aboard
the Mayflower went ashore
for the first time at present-
day Plymouth, Massachusetts.
In 1891, the first
basketball game, devised by
James Naismith, is believed
to have been played at the
International YMCA Training
School in Springfield,
Massachusetts. (The final
score of this experimental
game: 1-0.)
In 1913, the first
newspaper crossword puzzle,
billed as a “Word-Cross
Puzzle,” was published in the
New York World.
In 1914, the U.S.
government began requiring
passport applicants to provide
photographs of themselves.
In 1945, U.S. Army Gen.
George S. Patton, 60, died in
Heidelberg, Germany, 12 days
after being seriously injured
in a car accident.
In 1976, the Liberian-
registered tanker Argo
Merchant broke apart
near Nantucket Island off
Massachusetts almost a week
after running aground, spilling
7.5 million gallons of oil into
the North Atlantic.
In 1988, 270 people
were killed when a terrorist
bomb exploded aboard a
Pam Am Boeing 747 over
Lockerbie, Scotland, sending
wreckage crashing to the
ground.
In 1991, eleven of the
12 former Soviet republics
proclaimed the birth of
the Commonwealth of
Independent States and the
death of the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics.
In 1995, the city of
Bethlehem passed from Israeli
to Palestinian control.
In 2009, the Obama
administration imposed a
3-hour limit on how long
airlines can keep passengers
waiting inside planes delayed
on the ground.
In 2015, the nation’s
three-decade-old ban on
blood donations from gay and
bisexual men was formally
lifted, but major restrictions
continued to limit who could
give blood in the U.S.
In 2020, President-
elect Joe Biden received his
first dose of the coronavirus
vaccine on live television
as part of a growing effort
to convince the American
public the inoculations were
safe. The Vatican declared
it “morally acceptable” for
Roman Catholics to receive
COVID-19 vaccines based on
research that used fetal tissue
from abortions.
Ten years ago: The
National Rifle Association
said guns and police officers
were needed in all American
schools to stop the next killer
“waiting in the wings,” taking
a no-retreat stance in the
face of growing calls for gun
control after the Newtown,
Connecticut, shootings
that claimed the lives of 26
children and school staff.
President Barack Obama
nominated Sen. John Kerry as
his next secretary of state.
Five years ago: The
U.N. General Assembly voted
overwhelmingly to denounce
President Donald Trump’s
recognition of Jerusalem
as Israel’s capital, largely
ignoring Trump’s threat to
cut off aid to any country that
went against him. Papa John’s
announced that founder John
Schnatter would step down
as CEO; the company had
apologized for his comments
H&R Block
210 W. Lister St.
Cave Junction
592-3667
Ted Crocker, LTC
Bob Litak, LTC
Licensed Tax Consultants B14914
criticizing the NFL leadership
over protests by players who
knelt during the national
anthem.
One year ago: In an
effort to fight the omicron
coronavirus variant surging
through the country, President
Joe Biden announced that the
government would provide
500 million free rapid home-
testing kits, increase support
for hospitals under strain and
redouble vaccination and
boosting efforts. Chicago
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said
the nation’s third-largest city
would start requiring proof
of coronavirus vaccination at
restaurants, bars, gyms and
other indoor venues. Figures
released by the U.S. Census
Bureau showed that U.S.
population growth dipped
to its lowest rate since the
nation’s founding during the
first year of the pandemic.
Today’s Birthdays: Talk
show host Phil Donahue is 87.
Actor Jane Fonda is 85. Actor
Larry Bryggman is 84. Singer
Carla Thomas is 80. Musician
Albert Lee is 79. Conductor
Michael Tilson Thomas is
78. Actor Josh Mostel is 76.
Actor Samuel L. Jackson
is 74. Rock singer Nick
Gilder is 72. Movie producer
Jeffrey Katzenberg is 72.
Actor Dennis Boutsikaris is
70. International Tennis Hall
of Famer Chris Evert is 68.
Actor Jane Kaczmarek is
67. Country singer Lee Roy
Parnell is 66. Former child
actor Lisa Gerritsen is 65.
Actor-comedian Ray Romano
is 65. Former Treasury
Secretary Steven Mnuchin is
60. Country singer Christy
Forester (The Forester Sisters)
is 60. Rock musician Murph
(The Lemonheads; Dinosaur
Jr.) is 58. Actor-comedian
Andy Dick is 57. Rock
musician Gabrielle Glaser is
57. Actor Michelle Hurd is
56. Actor Kiefer Sutherland
is 56. Actor Karri Turner is
56. Actor Khrystyne Haje
is 54. Country singer Brad
Warren (The Warren Brothers)
is 54. Actor Julie Delpy is
53. Contemporary Christian
singer Natalie Grant is 51.
Actor Glenn Fitzgerald is
51. Singer-musician Brett
Scallions is 51. World Golf
Hall of Famer Karrie Webb is
48. Rock singer Lukas Rossi
(Rock Star Supernova) is 46.
French President Emmanuel
Macron is 45. Actor Rutina
Wesley is 44. Rock musician
Anna Bulbrook (Airborne
Toxic Event) is 40. Country
singer Luke Stricklin is 40.
Actor Steven Yeun is 39.
Actor Kaitlyn Dever is 26.