What is Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections
Respiratory Syncytial virus infecrtion, 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. In fact, 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. It is also a significant cause of respiratory illness in older adults.
RSV is highly contagious and it spreads through droplet transmission. When a person with the infection coughs or sneezes, secretions from their respiratory tract containing the virus are passed out into the air. A person is usually contagious for 3 to 8 days, but young children and those with a weakened immune system may still be able to pass it on for up to 4 weeks, even after their symptoms disappear.
People infected with RSV are usually contagious for 3 to 8 days. However, some infants, and people with weakened immune systems, can continue to spread the virus even after they stop showing symptoms, for as long as 4 weeks.
Researchers are working to develop RSV vaccines, but none are available yet. A drug called palivizumab is available to prevent severe RSV illness in certain infants and children who are at high risk for severe disease. For example, infants born prematurely or with congenital (from birth) heart disease or chronic lung disease. The drug can help prevent serious RSV disease, but it cannot help cure or treat children already suffering from serious RSV disease, and it cannot prevent infection with RSV.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections Symptoms usually include-
- Runny nose; decrease in appetite,
- Sneezing fever,
- Wheezing
These symptoms usually appear in stages and not all at once. In very young infants with RSV, the only symptoms may be irritability, decreased activity, and breathing difficulties. RSV can also cause more severe infections such as bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small airways in the lung, and pneumonia, an infection of the lungs. It is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children younger than 1 year of age. People infected with RSV usually show symptoms within 4 to 6 days after getting infected.
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