RSV is a virus that infects the lungs 

RSV is a contagious viral disease that infects the lungs and breathing passages. Most children will catch RSV before the age of 2 years. 

RSV spreads rapidly among children. While most will recover in one or two weeks, even after recovery, infants and children can continue to spread the virus for up to three weeks. 

For premature infants or those with lung or heart problems, severe RSV disease can lead to serious lung infection and hospitalization. 

Prevent RSV 

RSV spreads just as easily as the flu. Here are some tips to prevent your baby from getting RSV: 

• Wash your hands thoroughly before touching your baby and ask others to do the same. 
• Wash your baby’s toys, clothes, and bedding often. 

• Keep your baby away from: 
  — Crowds and young children. 
  — People with colds. — People who smoke. 

RSV signs and symptoms

If you see any of these RSV warning signs, call your baby’s provider right away: 

• Coughing or wheezing that does not stop. 

• Fast or troubled breathing. 
• A fever (especially if it is greater than 100.4°F in infants under 3 months of age). 
• A bluish color around the mouth or fingernails. 
• Spread-out nostrils and/or a caved-in chest when trying to breathe. 
• Gasping for breath.