title: Effect of young sibling visitation on respiratory syncytial virus activity in a NICU.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the restriction of young sibling (<13 years) visitation in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season was associated with a reduction in the rate of RSV infection among NICU patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review of all RSV positive infants from the 2001-2010 RSV seasons. The 2001-2006 RSV seasons (group 1) contained 639 admissions and the 2007-2010 (group 2, with sibling restriction) contained 461 admissions. Groups were compared by using the Fisher's Exact Test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a reduction of RSV positive infants from 6.7% in Group 1 to 1.7% in Group 2 (P<0.0001). There was a reduction of symptomatic infants from the number of infants with symptomatic RSV infection from 23/639 infants with young sibling visitation to 2/461 (P<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exclusion of young sibling visitors <13 years of age during RSV season was associated with a significant reduction in the number of RSV positive infants in the NICU.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Peluso
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Harnish
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fujii
mesh_terms: D005865:Gestational Age; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D016015:Logistic Models; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012136:Respiratory Syncytial Viruses / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012621:Seasons; D035781:Siblings; D014481:United States; D014789:Visitors to Patients
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