Working parents call for standardised parental leave amid RSV surge in children

AMMAN — Parents are calling on the authorities to introduce and implement parental leave provisions in light of the surge in Respiratory Syncial Virus (RSV) cases among children. 

A strong wave of RSV is resulting in the hospitalisation of many children nationwide. Almost 113,000 patients visited emergency rooms in the duration between November 1 and December 6, “77,000 of which suffered from respiratory infections”, Ahmad Abu Yaqeen, director of Hospitals and Technical Affairs Department at the Ministry of Health, told Al Mamlaka TV on Sunday. 

“Almost 4,900 of the respiratory cases were hospitalised,” Abu Yaqeen added. 

Abu Yaqeen noted that RSV is a contagious virus, clarifying that it is an upper-respiratory tract virus that can develop and spread over the lower respiratory tract. 

“RSV has not yet mutated, but it affects children and might be dangerous for infants and newborns,” Abu Yaqeen added. 

According to Abu Yaqeen, RSV is a self-curing virus, meaning that it does not require special treatment, medications or medical procedures to heal from it.

“A self-curing virus means that a child will be cured from the virus without medical intervention. However, patients with chronic illnesses or underlying diseases often need respiratory system supporting medications and antipyretics when they first catch the RSV,” he said. 

“90 per cent of children under the age of two got RSV during their lifetime,” Abu Yaqeen added.

As the situation unfolds, parents are calling on the authorities to implement parental leave. 

“A child is technically their parents’ dependent, which means parents should be allowed to take time off work to cope with an emergency,” Reem Himshawi, a mother, told The Jordan Times. 

Himshawi added that working parents have the right to take a reasonable amount of time off to deal with a domestic emergency, which includes when a child is sick. However, often, parents need time to make alternative arrangements for their care.

“As a parent, you have to choose between two harsh decisions: Sending your sick child to school and getting the rest of the class sick, or risking your career,” Himshawi said. 

According to Areej Owais, a mother of two children, sensible employers will give their staff time off to look after their children when they’re sick, or to make alternative arrangements for their care. However, that’s not always the case, as the decision depends on the parent’s employer, she said.

“We definitely need to implement a parental leave policy, for both the private and public sectors,” Owais added. 

Paediatrician Shayma Damra said that despite the fact that RSV is not a new virus and has been around for decades, doctors are noticing an increase in the numbers and severity of the cases this year.

Damra urges employers to try and help employees who have children. 

“Parental leave can be offered, or working remotely for a couple of days also won't hurt,” Damra said.

According to Damra, children with RSV are contagious, meaning that sending them to school or nursery will result in an overall increase in RSV among children. 

Isra Ali, a social media user, stated that she took her one-year-old infant to the ER nine times during the past month. Ali’s child was diagnosed with RSV, and the child exhibited many symptoms including fever, coughing, congested nose and sore throat. 

Ali claims that during the nurse’s six-hour shift, she saw over 150 children with RSV.