Karl Stefanovic and his wife Jasmine reveal their daughter Harper’s health battle

Karl Stefanovic and his wife Jasmine have revealed their three-year-old daughter Harper’s health battle.

The couple rushed Harper to hospital last year as she struggled to breathe and she was treated for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Jasmine admitted in a press release this week: ‘The first time Karl and I heard the letters RSV was when Harper was in hospital struggling to breathe.’

‘Initially, Harper had the sniffles and a cough, and we assumed she just had a bit of a cold.’

‘But within hours, she deteriorated; 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.’

Karl added: ‘While Harper fought off the infection, we do worry about the impact of RSV on her long-term health.’ 

Karl previously spoke about the terrifying experience on the Today show last year, revealing how Harper had ‘the sniffles and a small cough’, which led to him and Jasmine taking her to the GP.

But her condition soon deteriorated, with her temperature reaching a dangerous 40C and her heart rate racing to 200bpm.

The couple rushed Harper to hospital last year as she struggled to breathe and she was treated for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

She was then rushed to hospital in an ambulance and diagnosed with RSV, which is common in children in the winter months.

‘Two days ago, my daughter Harper had what’s she had so many times this year, a sniffle and a small cough,’ Karl told viewers at the time.

‘Within a few hours we gave her Nurofen and Panadol like advised and put her down for a sleep.

‘Initially, Harper had the sniffles and a cough, and we assumed she just had a bit of a cold. But within hours, she deteriorated; 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 explained

‘When she woke up she was breathing really quickly, wheezing, and her heart rate and temperature were through the roof.’

RSV – respiratory syncytial virus – is a major cause of lung infections in children and can lead to pneumonia or bronchiolitis, which is particularly dangerous in young infants.

Severe cases can kill babies and toddlers, whose tiny airways have not yet fully formed and who struggle to cope with the infection.

Globally, almost 120,000 children under five die from the disease every year.

Karl previously spoke about the terrifying experience on the Today show last year, revealing how Harper had ‘the sniffles and a small cough’, which led to him and Jasmine taking her to the GP