Everything you need to know about RSV this fall

RSV season is approaching, which means thousands of children under five and hundreds of thousands of adults will be hospitalized in the United States. Respiratory syncytial virus is an extremely common respiratory virus that affects almost all people when they become infected. According to CDC.

The RSV season typically begins in the fall, but peaks in December and January in the United States. The virus is extremely contagious and can be spread through direct contact, such as kissing the face of a child infected with RSV or touching the surface of an object, such as a doorknob. on which there is a virus, or when drops of the virus get into the eyes, nose or mouth from someone around you coughing or sneezing.

Most people infected with RSV are contagious for three to eight days, but may be contagious for a day or two, even before any symptoms appear. This means that people can potentially spread RSV to other people without even knowing they are infected. Some infants and adults with weakened immune systems can remain contagious for up to four weeks and spread the virus even after symptoms have resolved.

Good news for most people, RSV symptoms are mild and go away on their own after a week or two. Common symptoms for most people include cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing and possibly fever. In a minority of patients, symptoms may be more severe and include difficulty breathing, wheezing, irritability and dehydration. These patients may develop serious complications such as pneumonia or lung infection; and bronchiolitis, or inflammation of the airways.

In these severe cases, patients may need to be hospitalized so they can breathe normally. There is no specific treatment for RSV, but rather supportive care in the form of pain medications, intravenous fluids, and oxygen. In the most extreme cases, patients may need to be placed on a ventilator or machine so they can breathe normally.

Those most at risk for RSV and its complications include infants, people 60 years of age and older, and people with weakened immune systems, such as patients with HIV or organ transplant recipients. In addition, RSV can seriously affect patients with chronic diseases such as lung and heart disease.

The risk of RSV can be prevented, or at least significantly reduced, with RSV vaccines and antibodies, which are widely available to the public. Pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks’ gestation can receive Pfizer’s Abrysvo vaccine, which will protect their baby from severe infection and hospitalization from RSV for up to six months.

Infants of mothers who have not received the RSV vaccine may also benefit from an antibody known as Nirsevimab, which provides direct protection against RSV for about five months through preformed antibodies injected into the body. Infants aged eight months and younger and high-risk children aged eight to nineteen months may receive antibodies. High risk Infants include children born prematurely with chronic lung disease, children with cystic fibrosis, children with severe immunodeficiency, and American Indian or Alaska Native children.

CDC also recommends that all people 75 years of age and older receive a single dose of RSV vaccine. People aged 60–74 years who are at increased risk of severe RSV disease should also receive the vaccine. Conditions that increase the risk of severe RSV include having chronic medical conditions such as heart and lung disease, obesity, a weakened immune system, and living in a nursing home. Three FDA-approved RSV vaccines are available for adults: GSK’s Arexvy, Pfizer’s Abrysvo, and Moderna’s mResvia.

The best way to prevent the spread of RSV is to regularly watch your hands and cover your coughs and sneezes. Cleaning objects and surfaces such as doorknobs and countertops and using air purifiers can also go a long way in mitigating the spread of the virus, which remains the leading cause of hospitalization for infants in America.