Newborn Illness Warning

Doctors are warning parents of a potentially deadly disease among newborns. <br/><br/>News on 6 anchor Scott Thompson says it is called RSV and it creeps up this time every year. It's a respiratory

Wednesday, January 3rd 2007, 10:15 am

By: News On 6

Doctors are warning parents of a potentially deadly disease among newborns.

News on 6 anchor Scott Thompson says it is called RSV and it creeps up this time every year. It's a respiratory virus that won't respond to antibiotics.

The symptoms look a lot like asthma - with kids wheezing and having a difficult time breathing. But RSV can be deadly for babies.

Little Grace Otterstrom is 7 weeks old. She's already spent her fair share of her short life in the hospital. Just after Christmas, Mom Amie found out Grace had RSV. She spent two days at Saint Francis, with 30 other babies with the same disease.

Graceâ€™s mother Amie Otterstrom: "The doctor, the way he said it to us, if you and I were to get this, it would just be like a head cold. Whereas where infants, if they get it, it affects their lungs and they can't breathe."

Tulsa Dr. Pat Daley: "I've tested three kids in the office already today for it because they came in with wheezing and difficulty breathing and those three kids were negative, but you know, today tomorrow the next day, I'm going to be seeing in the office now."

Doctors are predicting the number of RSV cases will explode around the end of the month.