During the next few months, parents are urged to watch for signs of a common lung infection that could cause lifelong health problems in their babies.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes colds and lower respiratory infections and is the leading cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis in infants. Every year, more than 70,000 babies nationwide are hospitalized and about 500 die from RSV.
Dr. Michael Speer, medical director of quality outcomes management at Texas Children’s Hospital and professor of pediatrics in the section of neonatology at Baylor College of Medicine, is an expert in respiratory syncytial virus, also called RSV. He has been treating infants and children with RSV for more than 30 years.
In the following, Dr. Speer answers common questions about the causes, prevention and treatment of RSV.
Q: What is RSV?
A: RSV is a fall and winter month virus that causes colds and lower respiratory infections in babies. The virus is the leading cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis in infants. It may also produce health conditions such as asthma and breathing disorders.
Q: Who is at risk for RSV?
A: Babies born prematurely or born with congenital heart disease that requires medical treatment, or children age 2 and younger suffering from a chronic lung condition known as brochopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a lung disease in babies that develops mostly during the first four weeks after birth are at high risk. Other conditions that may place your baby at higher risk, such as generalized weakness of the muscles or congenital abnormalities of the lungs.
Q: What are the symptoms?
A: Symptoms start similarly to a cold with fever or runny nose and may worsen later to include coughing, difficulty breathing, wheezing and rapid breathing.
Q: Is it a common virus in children?
A: It is the most common virus affecting babies and infants that causes upper and lower respiratory disease. It can be particularly severe in infants less than 1 year of age. More than 70 percent of babies will contract RSV before age 1 and more than 90 percent will have already had the virus before reaching age 1. Adults also can have an RSV infection and infect younger members of their family.
Q: What is severe RSV?
A: Severe RSV illness involves both the airways and the lung itself and is manifested by the baby or infant not eating well, having difficulty breathing and cyanosis (looking “blue” in color) in room air.
Q: Is there a test to determine if my child has RSV?
A: There are several rapid tests available to help determine whether your child has an RSV infection. These tests may be available in your child's pediatrician's office, or you may have to go to a hospital for the test.
Q: What is the treatment for RSV?
A: There is no cure for the virus, but doctors have found that monthly injections of the monoclonal antibody palivizumab (Synagis) in certain high-risk populations can reduce the risk of hospitalization for an infant with pneumonia or bronchitis caused by RSV.
Q: How is RSV spread from person to person?
A: RSV is spread through coughing, sneezing or hands that touch the eyes, nose or mouth and come in contact with another person or object. Many times, a school-age child introduces the virus to his or her family or vice versa.
Q: How can we prevent the spread of RSV?
A: To reduce the risk of exposure, Dr. Speer recommends the following:
- Family members and caregivers must wash hands thoroughly before handling a baby
- Avoid exposing a baby to others with cold symptoms or fever
- Cover coughs and sneezes and dispose of used tissues
- Keep baby away from crowded areas
- Keep baby away from tobacco smoke
Q: Should RSV be considered dangerous?
A: RSV is just like a cold for most healthy children. However, in infants born prematurely and children under the age of 2 suffering the chronic lung disease BPD, RSV may cause severe and permanent health consequences such as asthma or other breathing disorders or even death.
