Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people are better in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults because it can cause trouble breathing. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs) in children younger than 1 year of age in the United States.
- Touching or breathing in fluid from a sick person, like a sneeze or cough. This can happen by touching a surface and then touching your face.
- Direct contact with the virus, like kissing the face of a child with RSV.
There are steps you can take to help prevent the spread of RSV. Specifically, if you have cold-like symptoms you should:
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- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your upper shirt sleeve, not your hands.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid close contact, such as kissing, shaking hands, and sharing cups and eating utensils, with others.
- Clean frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs and mobile devices.
- Do not let anyone smoke around your baby. Make sure no one touches your baby without first carefully washing their hands.
Not yet. Researchers are working to make RSV vaccines. A medicine called Palivizumab is available to prevent severe RSV illness in some infants and children who are at high risk. This includes infants born prematurely or with congenital (present from birth) heart disease or chronic lung disease. The drug can help prevent serious RSV disease, but it cannot help cure or treat children who have already gotten RSV disease. If your child is at high risk for severe RSV disease, talk to your healthcare provider to see if Palivizumab can be used to protect your child.
Ideally, people with cold-like symptoms should not interact with children at high risk for severe RSV disease, including premature infants, children younger than 2 years of age with chronic lung or heart conditions, and children with weakened immune systems. If this is not possible, they should carefully follow the prevention steps mentioned above and wash their hands before interacting with such children. They should also refrain from kissing high-risk children while they have cold-like symptoms.
Parents of children at high risk for developing severe RSV disease should help their child, when possible, do the following:
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- Avoid close contact with sick people.
- Wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid touching their face with unwashed hands.
- Limit the time they spend in child-care centers or other potentially contagious settings, especially during fall, winter, and spring. This may help prevent infection and spread of the virus during the RSV season.
No. RSV infections can be dangerous for some adults. Each year around 177,000 older adults are hospitalized and 14,000 of them die in the United States due to RSV infection.
The following adults are at risk of having severe RSV:
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- Older adults, especially those 65 years and older
- Adults with chronic heart or lung disease
- Adults with weakened immune systems
When an adult gets RSV infection, they typically have mild cold-like symptoms. But RSV can sometimes lead to serious conditions such as
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- Pneumonia (infection of the lungs)
- More severe symptoms for people with asthma
- More severe symptoms for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (a chronic disease of the lungs that makes it hard to breathe)
- Congestive heart failure (when the heart can’t pump blood and oxygen to the body’s tissues)
Older adults who get very sick from RSV may need to be hospitalized. Some may even die. Older adults are at greater risk than young adults for serious complications from RSV because our immune systems weaken when we are older.
People sick with RSV usually show symptoms within 4 to 6 days after exposure. Symptoms of RSV may include the following:
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- Runny nose
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Fever
- Wheezing
- Not hungry
- Trouble eating, drinking or swallowing
- Breathing faster than normal, or trouble breathing
- Turning blue around the lips and fingertips
These symptoms usually appear at different times of the sickness. In very young infants with RSV, the only symptoms may be irritability, decreased activity and trouble breathing.
Call your doctor or healthcare professional if you or your child is having trouble breathing, not drinking enough fluids or worsening symptoms.
Most RSV infections go away on their own in a week or two. There is no treatment for RSV, but researchers are working on vaccines and medication. Treatment depends on your symptoms, age and general health.
You can treat RSV symptoms by:
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- Managing fever and pain with over-the-counter medications, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Never give aspirin to children.
- Drinking enough fluids. It is important to drink a lot of fluids to prevent dehydration (loss of body fluids).
- Talking to your doctor or healthcare provider before giving your child nonprescription cold medicines. Some medicines contain ingredients that are not good for children.
Call your doctor or healthcare professional if you or your child is having trouble breathing, not drinking enough fluids or worsening symptoms.
Stay Home When Sick & Talk to Your Doctor
Stay home or keep children
home when ill.