we begin with an alarming outbreak that has some u.s. hospitals struggling. the common but potentially deadly respiratory virus called rsv is spreading rapidly among children. doctors telling cnn the spike is unprecedented for this time of year. cnn s brian todd has more on this troubling surge. the drive to the emergency room was really scary and really intense. reporter: this mother of a 5-year-old who was hospitalized with difficulty breathing told us of an anxious drive to the emergency room. things eventually had gotten worse since we were admitted. i have seen starting last night that he is progressively having a harder time breathing. rsv is one of the scariest infections in a child, especially when it s in your baby. so you will see your baby breathing really, really fast and you feel like there is nothing that you can do. reporter: around the country doctors are reporting a spike in cases of rsv, respiratory syncytial virus, a common respiratory illness tha
syncytial virus, a common respiratory illness that is occasionally severe in babies and young children. pediatric hospital beds are more full now than they have been in the last two years. some children s hospitals are overwhelmed scrambling to make space, using tents. and it s onlying october. why is it spiking this year? experts say one key reason is because kids are back in school after the pandemic. many children haven t built up their immune systems and masks and social distancing are a thing of the past. for these kids, this is the first time they are seeing a lot of these viruses. reporter: rsv symptoms sometimes seem similar to cold and flu, running nose, decrease in appetite, coughing, sneezing, wheezing, fever. think about bringing your child to the emergency room when you notice your child is having respiratory distress or increased work of breathing. that s characterized by breathing really fast and a diff difficult catching their breath. that is an alarm for any pa