RSV is a common virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms but can be serious for infants and young children. It spreads through direct contact with infected individuals or surfaces. While there is no vaccine, prevention focuses on good hygiene like frequent hand washing. For most people symptoms are treated at home with rest and over-the-counter medications, but some severe cases may require medical treatment and breathing support.

1. Fitango Education
Health Topics
Respiratory syncytial virus
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2. Overview
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes
mild, cold-like symptoms in adults and older
children. However, it can cause
serious problems in young babies, including
pneumonia and severe breathing
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3. Overview
problems. In rare cases it can lead to death.
Premature babies and those with
other health problems have the highest risk. A
child with RSV may have a fever,
stuffy nose, cough and trouble breathing. Tests can
tell if your child has the
virus.
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4. Overview
RSV easily spreads from person to person.
You can get it from direct contact with someone
who has it or it by touching
infected objects such as toys or surfaces such as
countertops. Washing your
hands often and not sharing eating and drinking
utensils are simple ways to
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5. Overview
help prevent the spread of RSV infection. There is
currently no vaccine for
RSV.
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6. Facts
RSV typically causes cold-like symptoms
such as a runny nose, cough, and congestion.
Fevers are common. The infection
can progress to the lower respiratory tract to cause
more severe illness such
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7. Facts
as bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways
in the lung) or pneumonia
in otherwise healthy infants and young children.
RSV is highly contagious through close
contact with infected people, and it can live on
toys and other surfaces for
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8. Facts
several hours.
Most children will have an RSV infection by
the time they are 2 years old, and most will get
better on their own within 8
to 15 days.
Every year, 75,000 to 125,000 children in 7

9. Facts
the United States are admitted to the hospital for
RSV infections.
For most children, fluids are the best
treatment. Bronchodilators, medicines prescribed
to help reduce airway
resistance, may ease breathing in some cases.
Antibiotics do not work against
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10. Facts
RSV, but a healthcare provider
may prescribe them for complications
that develop because of RSV.
Although deaths are relatively rare, RSV
can be life-threatening for immune-compromised
people, including premature
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11. Facts
infants, young children with heart and lung
problems, and the elderly.
Researchers are working toward a vaccine,
but none currently exists.
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12. Causes
RSV is very contagious. It is transmitted
through direct contact with nasal droplets from a
person who is infected.
RSV also can stay on environmental
surfaces, such as doorknobs, toys,
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13. Causes
and hands, for several hours. This means it
can easily be spread in school
classrooms and daycare centers and brought
home to other children who live
there. The time between when a person is infected
and when they
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14. Causes
have symptoms is about 4 to 6 days.Because
RSV does not give protection
from future infections, people can get
RSV many times—even during a
single season. The first infection is usually the most
severe. After that,
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15. Causes
any infections generally have milder
symptoms.
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16. Symptoms
Most children have had RSV by the time they
are 2 years old, but many parents might not even
realize it. That’s because RSV
symptoms are very much like the symptoms of a
mild-to-severe cold: runny nose,
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17. Symptoms
cough, mild fever, and sore throat. Infants with RSV
also might have less
appetite than usual and be tired or fussy.
Sometimes, because congestion is
heavy, infants can’t feed very well, and they may
become dehydrated (have a
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18. Symptoms
lower than normal amount of fluids in the body).
Most people will have symptoms
about 4 to 6 days after being exposed to the virus.
However, RSV can be particularly dangerous
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19. Symptoms
in premature infants and in children with
congenital heart disease or chronic
lung disease, because the infection can develop
into life-threatening
pneumonia. It can also be dangerous for the
elderly and people with compromised
immune systems. 18

20. Symptoms
Most people with RSV’s cold-like symptoms
do not necessarily need to visit a healthcare
provider. But if you or your
child have any of the following symptoms, you
should call your healthcare
provider immediately:
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21. Symptoms
-- Trouble breathing
-- Rapid breathing
-- Episodes of sleep apnea (when breathing
stops for a short time)
-- Wheezing that can be heard
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22. Symptoms
-- High fever
-- Cough with green or yellow mucus
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23. Diagnosis
Most people with RSV will simply have a
runny nose and a cough and don't need to visit a
healthcare provider. The virus
generally runs its course with the help of home
treatments. In fact,
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24. Diagnosis
in healthy children, it’s often not necessary
to find out whether
they have RSV or the common cold because the
treatment is the same.
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25. Diagnosis
children with heart and lung problems, the elderly,
and people with weakened
immune systems—to treat RSV properly,
a healthcare provider may
need to diagnose the illness. Generally, a
healthcare provider can use a
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26. Diagnosis
nasal swab or nasal wash to diagnose RSV.
Sometimes, they use a chest X-ray or
oxygen saturation test to check for lung
congestion.
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27. Treatment
To treat RSV is to treat its symptoms.
Drinking electrolyte-replacing fluids—not sugary
sodas or sports
drinks—regularly will prevent dehydration
(abnormal loss of body fluids).
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28. Treatment
Acetaminophen (Tylenol, for example) will help to
reduce fever and relieve headache.
Note that children with viral illnesses such as RSV
should never take aspirin.
In these cases, aspirin can lead to the potentially
fatal Reye’s syndrome.
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29. Treatment
You should encourage children in your care
to blow their noses, and you can use a bulb syringe
in infants to suction nasal
passages clear of mucus. Plenty of rest will help
keep children comfortable
until they get better. Good hand washing can
prevent spread the virus. 28

30. Treatment
In more severe cases, people with RSV might
need treatment to help them breathe.
Some healthcare providers may
prescribe a medicine called a bronchodilator to
help open airways (tubes that
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31. Treatment
move air from the mouth and nose into the lungs).
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32. Prevention
Researchers have been working toward
an RSV vaccine since the 1950s, but no
vaccine is yet licensed for use.
The best way to prevent RSV is good hygiene and
infection-control practices,
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33. Prevention
such as washing your hands frequently with soap
and water and avoiding sharing
food, cups, or utensils with infected people. Using
hand disinfectants will also
kill the virus.
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34. Prevention
Healthcare providers may give infants at
high risk for serious RSV infection or complications
Synagis (palivizumab).
Healthcare providers give such infants Synagis in
monthly injections during the
entire RSV season, because each injection gives
protection for only 30 days. 33

35. Prevention
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