Jasmine Stefanovic opens up about her daughter’s scary battle with RSV
"It was alarming to see how hard she was working to breathe"
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of respiratory and breathing infections in children.
The RSV and Me campaign shines a spotlight on this unpredictable and potentially dangerous virus that puts thousands of infants in hospital each year and can potentially cause serious long-term health issues.
Today host Karl Stefanovic, 48, and his wife Jasmine had a close call with RSV in 2022 when their daughter Harper was rushed to hospital.
Jasmine, 39, is one of the spokespeople for RSV and Me and is helping to raise awareness of the infection, its symptoms and when to seek urgent medical care.
“We had never heard of RSV until our two-year-old daughter Harper was hospitalised with the virus last winter,” Jasmine wrote alongside an Instagram post.
“Did you know that RSV puts more babies in hospital than any other respiratory virus? Too often parents hear the three letters RSV for the first time when they are in a hospital emergency department. What better reasons to raise awareness of RSV and help parents understand the risks, identify the symptoms and know when to seek urgent medical care?”
“We had never heard of #RSV until our two-year-old daughter Harper was hospitalised with the virus last winter.”
Going into further details about her daughter’s frightening experience with RSV, Jasmine shares her story with the Immunisation Foundation of Australia.
“It 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,” explains Jasmine.
“It was alarming to see how hard she was working to breathe, with her little ribs sucking in and tummy pulling up into her chest. While I knew in my heart that Harper needed medical help, I wasn’t sure at first if I was overreacting. Thankfully, my gut instinct took over and we took her to see our GP.”
She continues: “Right there in the doctor’s office, Harper’s condition worsened. Her temperature skyrocketed and her heart rate was close to 200 beats per minute. Our doctor administered oxygen and called an ambulance. Within minutes, we were on our way to hospital.”
Jasmine and Karl with 3yo Harper, who suffered RSV last year.
Jasmine and Karl spent a long night in hospital with Harper as the medical team did all they could to help her breathe. The next day, Harper improved and could breath unassisted.
The mum-of-one finishes the blog post, writing: “It’s been almost a year since our awful experience with RSV, and Harper still has a lingering wheeze. Doctors have explained that RSV can have a range of long-term health effects. We’ll be keeping a close eye on her this winter.
“We are sharing our RSV story in the hope that it will help other parents understand the realities of the virus and know when to seek medical help.”
“It was alarming to see how hard she was working to breathe, with her little ribs sucking in and tummy pulling up into her chest.”
Jasmine’s post was inundated with words of support, with many mothers also sharing stories of their child’s battle with RSV.
“Thank you for using your platform to raise awareness for this! So glad Harper has recovered well ❤️❤️❤️ My littlest one got it at 11 weeks old and it’s so hard seeing them struggle to breathe,” wrote one mum.
Added another: “Thank you for sharing we have a very close family member who’s little girl got it at 6 weeks old. She was so very sick airlifted from Roma Qld to Brisbane. It’s a miracle she survived. 😔”
Another mum, currently in the same situation, wrote: “My son has RSV now and he is very unwell. I’m so sorry you have experience this also. So glad to hear that Harper is ok. It is great that you are a part of RSV awareness. Thankyou 🙏🏻 xx”
Find out more about RSV and Me.
