What is RSV?
RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) is a virus that can cause a respiratory infection in infants, children and adults of all ages. An RSV infection usually causes a mild cold that goes away in a week or two. But sometimes it can cause severe symptoms and complications, especially in children under 5 years of age, adults over 65 and people with weakened immune systems.
Washing your hands often and avoiding large groups during the respiratory season can help keep you and your family healthy. If you or your child gets RSV, home care is usually enough to control symptoms until the infection goes away. But some people need hospital care to fully recover.
What causes RSV?
RSV is a virus. It isn’t a bacterial infection. The specific virus responsible is a respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV for short.
How is RSV spread?
You catch RSV from close contact with someone with the infection or by touching a contaminated object and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth. In either case, saliva, mucus and snot are the vehicles that carry the virus from one person to another.
RSV can live on hard surfaces like tables for several hours. Meanwhile, if you touch that surface, you can pick up the virus on your hands. Washing your hands removes the virus and ends its journey there. But if you touch your face first, the virus can enter your body and make you sick.
How contagious is RSV?
RSV is very contagious. You can easily spread the virus while you have symptoms, which is usually a period of three to eight days. RSV spreads through respiratory droplets that leave your body when you cough or sneeze.