Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

Although it can affect adults, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants and children under 1 year of age. Most children recover from RSV in 8 to 15 days.

RSV is also responsible for repeated infections throughout life, usually associated with several influenza-like symptoms; however, serious lower respiratory tract disease may occur at any age, especially among the elderly or those with compromised cardiac, pulmonary, or immune systems.

Causes Of RSV

RSV is spread from person to person by close contact with infected persons or contact with surfaces contaminated by respiratory secretions.

When infectious material gets in touch with mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth, or nose, infection may happen. The virus is much more effective in certain times of the year and under certain environmental conditions. RSV season begins on the late fall and can be extended up to early spring months.

During RSV season, the virus becomes even more capable of spreading, and as a result often RSV outbreaks take place within this RSV season.

Symptoms Of RSV

In adults, RSV may only produce symptoms similar as those of a common cold, like a congested nose, throat pain, moderate headache, cough, fever, and a general feeling of discomfort.

RSV in infants, however, can lead to other more serious and dangerous diseases, particularly in premature babies and kids with diseases that affect the heart, lungs, or immune system. Symptoms of RSV in infants include high fever, thick nasal discharge that can be yellow, green, or gray, bad cough or cough that produces yellow, green, or gray mucus, unusual irritability, abnormal inactivity or lack of appetite at breastfeed or bottle time.

Severe cases of RSV in infants show difficulty breathing very rapid breathing, lethargy and cyanosis.

Treatment Of RSV

Treatment for children with mild disease and adults is symptomatic, mainly consisting in fever-controlling medications and other common-use medicines. Severely affected children, however, may require oxygen therapy and even mechanical ventilation.

On cases of RSV in which the immune system is compromised, a combination of immune globulin intravenous (IGIV) with of neutralizing RSV antibody (RSV-IGIV) and ribavirin were used.

Prevention Of RSV

A RSV vaccine is currently under development, and this represents a high priority for research. However, no proven RSV vaccine has been made available yet. Current prevention practices include good infection-control and RSV shots (RSV-IGIV and an anti-RSV humanized murine monoclonal antibody). RSV shots can be administered during RSV season to minimize the chance of infection in some children and infants at high RSV risk, such as those children with a chronic lung disease and premature babies. Prevention also includes frequent hand washing, and avoiding sharing personal utensils, all this to minimize virus transmission to others.

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