Sometimes it is the easiest, simplest things we forget to do. Take out the trash. Get enough hours of sleep. Floss. But sometimes the easiest, simplest things we forget to do have dire consequences: pests invade your house, your immune system falters, and your teeth rot.
And as this Memphis-based father found out the hard way, not washing your hand before handling your little ones can also be dangerous.
The unnamed father almost lost his little one to a series of illnesses, including the severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a virus that causes infections of the lungs and respiratory tract.
It all started when his baby was admitted to the hospital for meningitis. Soon her condition deteriorated.
READ: The importance of handwashing
“Now she is fighting RSV,” he said in a post shared on social media. “We almost lost her last Monday. Our local hospital told us if she got any worse there was nothing more they could do for her.”
But her conditions got worse, and so the family planned for her transfer to a different hospital, but in the process the baby flat-lined. The doctors successfully brought her back and put her in a ventilator.
His daughter was further diagnosed with a number of issues including RSV, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, a partially collapsed right lung.
“Needless to say, it’s been a rough week for my little one,” he said. “But now I can gladly say that she is doing much better…she has beaten so many odds this past week and made me even more proud to call her my daughter.”
The father added: “RSV is no joke. I didn’t know much about it until a week ago when it almost took my daughter from me. Please make sure to wash your hands before handling little ones.”
Texas-based pediatrician Ari Brown also cautioned: “It’s a really rough virus, like the worst cold you’ve ever had. And though 97 percent of kids do fine with it and become ‘happy wheezers,’ so to speak, with a cough for four to six weeks then they get over it.”
READ: How to properly wash your hands
However, for a small subset of kids, particularly premature babies, can get really sick and would need oxygen support.
CDC revealed that RSV spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes into the air, and it can survive on hard surfaces for hours on end. This is why regular disinfection around the house is crucial for the general health of the household.
Even the simple act of washing your hands has a huge impact on your health.