Respiratory syncytial virus

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Fitango EducationHealth Topics

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

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.

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

Overview

help prevent the spread of RSV infection. There is currently no vaccine for

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

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

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

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

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

infants, young children with heart and lung problems, and the elderly.

Researchers are working toward a vaccine,

but none currently exists.

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,

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

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,

Causes

any infections generally have milder symptoms.

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,

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

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

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.

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:

Symptoms

-- Trouble breathing

-- Rapid breathing

-- Episodes of sleep apnea (when breathing

stops for a short time)

-- Wheezing that can be heard

Symptoms

-- High fever

-- Cough with green or yellow mucus

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,

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.

But in certain cases—premature infants,

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

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.

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).

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.

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.

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

Treatment

move air from the mouth and nose into the lungs).

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,

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.

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.

Prevention

Respiratory syncytial virus

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