|  | Conditions Treatments | Viruses

RSV Symptoms in Infants

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a viral disease of the lungs. This disease is actually one of the main causes for infants and young children to develop lower respiratory illness. However, older children and adults can also develop mild and serious respiratory illness due to RSV.

  1. How It Is Contracted

    • RSV can be contracted several different ways, including hand-to-mouth contact with something that someone who already has RSV has touched or coughed on. It can also be contracted simply by touching someone infected with it. By breathing in any flying droplets that occur when an infected person coughs, you can also contract RSV.

    Symptoms

    • The symptoms of RSV can last anywhere from several days to several weeks. Young children and infants with the mild illness usually have mild symptoms that are similar to the common cold. This includes a cough, a stuffy nose, and/or an ear infection. If the young child or infant develops a lower respiratory infection, he or she could run a low fever for a few days, have a cough lasting longer than two weeks, and even experience trouble breathing. Infants can also show signs of decreased appetite and irritability.

    Diagnosis

    • While a doctor can do specific tests for an RSV infection, the diagnosis of RSV is sometimes based partially or wholly on the current symptoms as well as the current time of year, as RSV season is typically between the start of fall and the end of spring.

    Risk Factors

    • While anyone of any age can contract RSV there are certain risk factors that can increase/decrease a person's chance of getting it. For infants, the risks are if they are premature, really young or have a problematic or weak immune system.

    Treatment

    • Mild cases of RSV can usually clear without any treatment. For more severe cases of RSV, hospital treatment and a dose of ribavirin, an antiviral medication, might be administered.

    Prevention

    • While there is no current vaccine for RSV there are still ways to help prevent it. These include washing your hands regularly and thoroughly, covering the mouth when coughing and/or sneezing, and properly disposing of used tissues.

Viruses - Related Articles