10 minute read
What to know about RSV
RESPIRATORY VIRUS SPREADING
RSV particularly a danger to infants
JIM McCARTHY
jim@keysweekly.com
“We’re seeing a lot of it. A lot.” Those were the words local pediatrician Dr. Stan Zuba used to describe a recent spike in respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, among children throughout the country, state and the Florida Keys.
RSV is a contagious virus that can lead to complications and hospitalizations, particularly among children under 2 years old. In the past three to four weeks, hospitals across the country have seen a surge in cases among infants, those born prematurely and kids with congenital heart failure or immune deficiencies.
Older children and adults are also susceptible to RSV, though the dangers are far less than in infants. While RSV causes cold-like symptoms for older children and adults, the virus can cause serious respiratory illness in babies, including lung infections such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia.
“They should see a doctor as soon as possible, especially if they're premature or have congenital heart disease or anything that makes them at higher risk,” Zuba said.
The Florida Department of Health began tracking RSV in children under the age of 5 in early September, when many regions in the state witnessed a spike in cases. According to DOH, emergency department visits for RSV among children under 5 years of age spiked more compared to previous years. RSV activity in children over 5 years was also above levels observed during the same time in previous years.
Zuba said RSV cases increase during the winter months in the northern part of the country. In Florida, RSV is prevalent year-round and worsens during the winter months. But Zuba said he and other doctors began seeing RSV cases for the last four to six weeks in numbers they haven’t seen in a long time.
“A lot of these viruses, including influenza and RSV, were dormant during a time when COVID was so overwhelming. Now that COVID is waning, these are coming back with vengeance even stronger than they were previously as far as numbers,” Zuba said.
The Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition and Florida Department of Health in Monroe County said they are working together to ensure families are aware of the recent increase in RSV infections.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), virtually all children get an RSV infection by the time they are 2 years old. RSV may not be severe when it starts, but it can become more serious within a few days. RSV infections can go from mild symptoms to hospitalization in less than a week. Health officials said it’s important to watch babies for worsening symptoms.
If the child is sick and parents notice short, shallow or fast breathing that isn’t normal for them, make an appointment with a doctor right away. Pediatricians will be able to evaluate the potentially dangerous virus and help explain how to best manage the symptoms the baby is experiencing.
One of the best treatments for RSV in older kids and adults is honey, according to Zuba.
“Studies have been done on buckwheat honey, and one teaspoon every 6 hours is better than any over-thecounter cough medicine,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of washing hands, isolating older kids who are sick and getting to a doctor right away with infants who have symptoms that are consistent with RSV.
“It’s extremely contagious. Even if it’s a mild case, parents can expect that their child will cough anywhere from one to four weeks and have respiratory symptoms for up to a month afterwards,” Zuba said.
For more information, contact your local pediatrician, healthcare provider or the Florida Keys Healthy Start Coalition’s office at 305-293-8424. People can also read more about RSV on the American Academy of Pediatrics and Center for Disease Control and Prevention websites.
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On Sept. 19, Renee Gilbert — a long-time local, mom of three and lover of the ocean — took a plunge (no pun intended) and opened the doors of her zerowaste and refillery store, FL Keys Refillery.
Reader, you are not alone if you just read the last sentence and said, “Refillery? What’s that?”
“A lot of people don’t know what this is,” Gilbert said. In short, a refillery is a shop where shoppers can fill their own containers with cleaning products to minimize single-use plastics.
During Keys Weekly’s visit to the store, customer Stacey Bedford walked in with her 5-year-old daughter, Anna.
“There’s nothing like this in the Keys,” Bedford said enthusiastically to Gilbert as she perused the shelves of products. “And people down here are environmentally conscious.”
At the “Refill Bar,” little Anna reached up to pump a cedar-and-sage hair conditioner into a stainless-steel bottle that Bedford had brought. The bar is lined with large jugs of such daily necessities as hand soap, body wash, shampoo and conditioners, laundry detergent, household cleaners and more.
Prices are anywhere from 22 cents per ounce for glass cleaner to $2.74 an ounce for sunscreen. Gilbert first weighs the shopper’s container, which is then filled with the liquid of their choice. Then Gilbert weighs the container again and subtracts the container’s initial weight to get the final price.
“And it’s cheaper, since you’re paying for the product, not the packaging,” said Gilbert as she weighed the conditioner for Bedford.
Shoppers bring in their own clean containers, though she has some for sale. “People will bring in plastic water bottles. I’ve even seen a wine bottle. Anything is good, as long as it’s clean and dry. Just use what you have.”
Aside from the Refill Bar, Gilbert has stocked her shelves with organic and nontoxic items, such as Poppy & Pout lip balm (word is, Oprah loves it), and low-waste products, including biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes and “toothpaste” in tablet form with no plastic and cardboard packaging. There are even “Swedish dish towels” that are the equivalent of 17 rolls of paper towels.
Gilbert is constantly researching more ecoconscious items, so customers can check her social media for new arrivals. She just got in organic snacks for your four-legged fur babies: baked treats in bacon and carob flavors. And soon to come: loose coffee beans, teas, spices and grains. Just bring a container, and load up.
In addition, she has her own line of homemade candles, soaps and body scrubs. Called Sunny Turtle Creations, they pay tribute to the classic Keys way that Gilbert grew up: loving the ocean.
“I’ve been here since my family came in 1983, when I was 8 years old. I worked at a dive shop in high school. And I love turtles. I’d do anything for them,” Gilbert said, pointing at her turtle tattoo. “A turtle will see a plastic bag in the water and swallow it because they think it’s a jellyfish. I spent my childhood out on the reef and watched the deterioration. If everyone can do one simple thing, it can make a huge impact.” Gilbert discovered the existence of refilleries through selling her Sunny Turtle Creations line at a market. A regular customer asked her one day if she could buy soap but not the plastic container. “So I researched and found out about refilleries, and I thought, ‘This is genius,’” said Gilbert, who worked in a local bank for 17 years and raised three children in the Upper Keys with her husband of 23 years. She used her business smarts, creativity and the help of her family to begin another life as a brickand-mortar business owner.
Nov. 3 will be the first of her monthly paint nights, as a way to have fun, promote her store and introduce the refillery idea to locals. Meanwhile, word is spreading. Bedford said that she found out about it through the FL Keys Refillery Facebook page.
“I’m going to come back for Christmas presents,” said Bedford.
FL Keys Refillery is located in Suite 305 at 100410 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, bayside.
Store hours (starting Nov. 1) are Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and closed Sunday and Monday. For more information about FL Keys Refillery, go to sunnyturtlecreations.com, see @flkeysrefillery on Instagram or Facebook, or call 305-741-7885.
Mother and longtime local expresses her love for the ocean with her new ecoconscious business
Clockwise from top left, owner Renee Gilbert has a goal of adding “many zeros” to this sign; Gilbert constantly researches new items to stock; toothbrushes made from biodegradable bamboo, and the tooth-cleaning tablets avoid packaging; Anna,5, pumps hair conditioner from the Refill Bar. CHARLOTTE TWINE/Keys Weekly
BRING BACK THE BACON
Annual festival brings food & more to Islamorada
Attendees enjoy some bacon. KEYS WEEKLY FILE PHOTO
JIM McCARTHY
jim@keysweekly.com
Smells of bacon will fill the Islamorada air as the annual Bacon Fest and Vendor Show returns to the heart of Islamorada on Sunday, Nov. 6.
Organized by the Islamorada Moose Lodge, attendees will have the chance to indulge in a variety of bacon-inspired dishes, from bacon banana bread and bacon mac and cheese to bacon shrimp rolls. Joining in the bacon festivities are MEAT Eatery & Taproom, Chef Michael and other local restaurants.
“If you like bacon, you’re going to love it, and you’ll love all the things we do that go to support the community,” said Nancy Saxe, Islamorada Moose Lodge member and Bacon Fest organizer.
A contest will determine who can eat a pound of bacon the fastest for the top Upper Keys bacon eater. Meanwhile, bartenders will try to concoct the best crafty bacon cocktail.
With the food comes shopping as some 15 vendors showcase and sell their works in time for the holiday shopping season. Live bands will entertain the crowds from the beginning of the festival at 9 a.m. to its conclusion at 3 p.m. Festival goers can also try their hand at dunking local celebrities and surprise guests. Five dollars get you three attempts.
There’s also something for the kids to enjoy, including hot dogs and sodas and face painting.
Admission to Bacon Fest is a $5 donation. Proceeds from the event support Moose Charities and other local charities, Saxe said.
“It supports our Coral Shores scholarships, which we give out close to $10,000. Proceeds also support other local charities just depending on what happens during the year,” she said. “We also support International Moose Charities. They support a children’s school in Indiana and a senior center in north Florida.”
Bacon Fest happenings take place outside the Moose Lodge, located at MM 81. For more information, visit 200 Bacon Fest & Vendor Show on Facebook.
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