In a quiet Adelaide suburb, Deborah Smith, a 72-year-old retired nurse, finds herself battling the lingering effects of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) six years after the infection.
As a former nurse, Deborah was no stranger to health challenges. However, nothing could have prepared her for the debilitating impact of severe RSV.
Read MoreIn June 2022, mother-of-three Kellie Damon noticed her 13-month son Owen was unusually quiet and still.
For a baby who was always on the go, Kellie was concerned, especially when she noticed how pale he looked. Something wasn’t right.
Read MoreWhen Marie Compagnon bought home newborn Elio during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020, the family did what they could to protect him.
Read MoreSantanna’s second child Rebel was only four weeks old when she caught RSV from her two-year-old brother in July 2023.
By day three of cold-like symptoms, baby Rebel took a turn for the worse and was rushed to Monash Children’s Hospital.
Read MoreThe source of the virus a mystery, baby Flynn started exhibiting classic cold-like symptoms including a runny nose and slight cough. After two days, when Flynn’s cough had deteriorated to alarming bouts of breath-holding, Kiara became very worried.
Read MoreIn May 2023, when Megan Behn’s three-month old baby Xavier developed a blocked nose, little did she know it was the first sign of an illness that would result in a five-day hospital stay.
Read MoreIn April 2023, 68-year-old Margaret McMahon started to feel a little unwell but brushed it off to simply being rundown.
Read MoreIt was last winter, and Harper had the sniffles and a cough. Karl and I assumed she just had a bit of a cold. But within hours, she became very sick.
Read MoreBorn six weeks early, Chloe and Macie were healthy newborns, and we were happy parents. Five weeks later, our world turned upside down.
Read MoreIn the winter of 2016, just 18 months after our four-week-old baby boy had died from the complications of whooping cough, my husband and I confronted the realities of RSV when three-week old Lucy was rushed to hospital.
Read MoreMy gorgeous boy was born with cystic fibrosis, so it goes without saying that he has needed a little more medical attention than the average child.
Read MoreI knew something was very wrong with our little man. Something that started out like a cold was turning pretty nasty. He wasn’t eating or drinking; he was vomiting and really limp in my arms. My maternal alarm was screaming.
Read MoreAs a paramedic, I know firsthand about infectious diseases like RSV, so when my ten-week-old baby became unwell in October last year I kept a close eye on him.
Read MoreHazel was around two months old when I put her to bed, noticing she was a little congested. When she woke up, it was clear something was very wrong.
Read MoreMy two-year-old was the first to get sick, quickly followed by me, and then little Henry who was only seven weeks old.
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