Respiratory Synctial Virus Infection

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About Respiratory Synctial Virus Infection:

RSV, which typically causes cold-like symptoms, is a leading cause of severe infection and death in babies and older adults.
Symptoms: They include, Runny nose, Decrease in appetite and Cough etc.
Transmission: RSV spreads from person to person through
- The air by coughing and sneezing;
- Direct contact, such as kissing the face of a child who has RSV;
- Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands;
Premature infants, babies younger than 6 months old, people above age 65 and people who have a compromised immune system, chronic lung disease or congenital heart condition can get a more severe case of RSV.
People who have an RSV infection are usually contagious for 3 to 8 days. But sometimes infants and people with weakened immune systems can continue to spread the virus for as long as 4 weeks.
A severe infection leads to pneumonia and bronchiolitis.

Q1: What is Bronchiolitis?

It is a common lung infection in young children and infants. It causes swelling and irritation and a buildup of mucus in the small airways of the lung. These small airways are called bronchioles. Bronchiolitis is almost always caused by a virus.

Source: WHO recommends maternal vaccine and antibody shot to prevent RSV in infants