What is it? Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults.
It’s not just a cold: The symptoms may look like a cold and include a runny nose, cough, and fever. But if an infant’s runny nose and cough turn into more serious breathing trouble, the problem could be RSV, which is potentially life-threatening for little lungs. In children who were born prematurely and in those with other medical conditions such as lung or heart conditions, an RSV infection can be more severe.
When to call the doctor: Seek medical care if your child has any of the following symptoms of RSV: Difficulty breathing or fast breathing with tugging of the chest muscles; gray or blue-tinged skin color around the lips or fingernails; wheezing; lethargy or extreme tiredness; refusal to drink liquids or breastfeed; decreased number of wet diapers
Who can get RSV? Everyone can get RSV. But it causes the most threat to infants, older adults and other vulnerable people, who can get serious airway and lung infections. Among U.S. kids under age 5, RSV typically leads to 58,000 hospitalizations and up to 500 deaths in a year. For adults 65 and older, RSV causes 177,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths yearly.
How long does an RSV infection last? People infected are usually contagious for three to eight days. Babies and people with weakened immune systems can spread RSV for up to four weeks. There is no vaccine for it, although several candidates are in testing.
SOURCE: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, The Associated Press
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