An RSV infection is not in itself a cause for alarm. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , most children will have had one by the time they are two years old. The majority will experience it as a cold-like illness, with a runny nose and cough , and recover by themselves.
But in some babies and young children, it can cause bronchiolitis , an inflammation of the lower parts of the lung. They may struggle to breathe and feed. Some may also require a feeding tube.
With that support, most will get better within a few days. Before the coronavirus pandemic, hospitals routinely prepared for RSV surges ahead of winter. The most at-risk patients, such as premature babies and those with existing lung and heart problems, can be protected with palivizumab , a shot of antibodies that helps fight off the virus. The shot needs to be given every month throughout the months when RSV is active, another reason why preparing for surges is so crucial.
Children that get sickest with RSV can often be treated with oxygen and most get better in a few days Credit: Getty Images. The pandemic has disrupted that seasonal rhythm, and its role in the usual development of children's immunity. So, one season of this RSV was completely missed. And if you skip one season, then you are not producing antibodies against it, and mothers are not producing antibodies that can then be passed on to babies.
As a result, those babies may then be particularly vulnerable to RSV when the world re-opens. Data from different countries supports that idea of an immunity gap due to a skipped season.
A skipped season increases the pool of susceptible babies and children, since it includes those who were shielded during the winter, as well as those born since then. That may make viral surges more powerful when they eventually hit. In Tokyo, researchers have reported the largest annual rise in RSV cases since monitoring began in They suggest the build-up of susceptible people during the pandemic may have contributed to the unusually big outbreak this year.
Other aspects of the new viral landscape are still unclear, such as the question of why RSV surged once anti-Covid measures were loosened, but not the flu , which has remained fairly subdued.
The precise pattern of the out-of-season RSV surges has also varied somewhat from country to country. Agha and her team in Brooklyn observed that their surge was unusually severe, affecting much younger children than usual and sending a higher proportion into intensive care. But in Australia , for example, it affected an older age group than before. Berger says that the Swiss summer outbreaks had been no more severe than typical winter surges. Someone who has an RSV infection can typically transmit the virus for between 3 and 8 days.
RSV is typically spread through respiratory droplets that are produced when a person with RSV coughs or sneezes. If these droplets enter your nose, mouth, or eyes, you can contract the virus. You can also spread the virus through direct contact. One example of this is kissing the face of a baby who has RSV. Additionally, RSV can contaminate objects and surfaces, where it can survive for several hours. If you touch a contaminated object or surface and then touch your face or mouth, you can potentially become ill.
There are a variety of potentially serious complications that can develop from an RSV infection. Those who are at an increased risk for complications include:. Seek immediate medical care if you, your child, or a loved one shows any of the following serious RSV symptoms:. Most of the time, RSV can be treated with at-home care. The best way to treat the infection at home is to:.
However, there are steps you can take in your daily life to help prevent RSV. A drug called palivizumab can be used as a preventive measure for babies and young children at a high risk for serious RSV illness. Generally speaking, this includes premature babies born at 29 weeks or earlier, and babies or young children with certain underlying health conditions. Respiratory syncytial virus RSV is a virus that causes seasonal respiratory illness. RSV season typically begins in the fall.
The virus can continue to circulate until spring. Many people who get RSV experience a mild illness. However, some groups are at an increased risk for more serious illness, with complications like bronchiolitis and pneumonia. N Engl J Med. Gaithersburg, MD: MedImmune. Association of RSV-related hospitalization and non-compliance with palivizumab among commercially insured infants: a retrospective claims analysis. BMC Infect Dis. Leader S, Kohlhase K. Hospitalizations associated with influenza and respiratory syncytial virus in the United States, Clin Infect Dis.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Respiratory syncytial virus activity—United States, July —January Variation in timing of respiratory syncytial virus outbreaks: lessons from national surveillance. Brief report: respiratory syncytial virus activity—United States, — Brief report: respiratory syncytial virus activity—United States, July —December Respiratory syncytial virus-related bronchiolitis in Puerto Rico.
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Respiratory syncytial virus disease in preterm infants in the United States born at weeks gestation not receiving immunoprophylaxis. Statement on the care of the child with chronic lung disease of infancy and childhood. Baraldi E, Filippone M.
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