“About 200,000 infants a year are hospitalized in this country due to RSV and somewhere between 200 and 500 infants die because of RSV,” said Kathryn Reilly, MD of OU Physicians Family Medicine.

The virus is actually the most common respiratory virus in infants and children, infecting virtually all children by the age of two.

“Most healthy children will get RSV and have cold-like symptoms, but no serious problems,” Reilly said. “The biggest risk is for children who are less than six months of age during RSV season (October through April), premature infants (35 weeks gestation or less), and those with chronic lung or heart disease. Babies who are exposed to cigarette smoke are also at higher risk of developing a severe RSV infection, as are babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy.”

Reilly stressed there are some things parents can do to protect their children from RSV.

• Always wash your hands with warm water and soap before you touch your baby and ask relatives and other caregivers to do the same.
• Try to keep older siblings away from the baby as much as possible, especially if they have a runny nose, cold, or fever.
• Avoid taking your baby out to crowded areas, such as shopping centers.
• Do not smoke or allow anyone else to smoke around your baby.
• Breastfeeding—it decreases the risk of infection in infants.

Reilly added that infants at high risk may require medication to prevent serious RSV infection. If you have questions or concerns, she suggested talking to your pediatrician or family doctor.

RSV Warning Signs
Although symptoms of an RSV infection resemble those of a cold (fever, runny nose, and congestion) at the onset, breathing problems may emerge after several days. OU Physicians say you may notice:

• Your baby can’t breathe well
• When you baby breathes, you hear a wheezing sound.
• Your baby is breathing very fast.
• When eating, your baby chokes in a way that is not normal for him/her.

If your baby has had cold-like symptoms for a few days and then begins to exhibit these or other breathing problems, especially if he or she is six months of age or younger, an evaluation by a physician is warranted.