Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Specifics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

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For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes mild, cold-like symptoms in adults and older healthy children. It can cause serious problems in young babies, including pneumonia and severe breathing problems. 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. Lab tests can tell if your child has the virus. There is no specific treatment. You should give your child fluids to prevent dehydration. If needed, you can also give a pain reliever (not aspirin) for fever and headache.

RSV easily spreads from person to person. You can get it from direct contact with someone who has it or 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 help prevent the spread of RSV infection. There is currently no vaccine for RSV.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

• Learn about Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) (American Lung Association)
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Diagnosis and Tests

• RSV Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Protecting Your Baby from RSV (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV): Transmission and Prevention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Treatments and Therapies

• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): Treatment (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)

Specifics

• Bronchiolitis (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): Trends and Surveillance (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV): Infection and Incidence (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Bronchiolitis (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Can Analysis of Routine Viral Testing Provide Accurate Estimates of...
• Article: Determining the Seasonality of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in the United...
• Article: The Burden of Human Metapneumovirus and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections...
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Lung Association
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Children

• Bronchiolitis (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• RSV antibody test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish