RSV: What It Is, Diagnosis, Symptoms & Treatment

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an infectious respiratory disease that can look and sound a lot like a cold, with coughing, sneezing and a runny nose. But RSV can turn serious and send some patients to the hospital, particularly infants and young children. Learn more about what RSV is, including its causes, symptoms and treatment. What is RSV? RSV causes respiratory illness, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reports. “Can adults get RSV?” is a frequent question. Adults, babies and children can get RSV, according to the AAP. Sometimes the illness can be severe in infants and children. The risk of contracting RSV is also higher for premature babies, which is of particular concern for Black women, who are more likely to give birth to a premature baby. In the United States, people usually get RSV from late fall through early spring. “This is a relatively common virus that used to be seasonal in the fall and winter. But over the COVID-19 years, we’ve seen some changes in that seasonality, with seasons starting earlier or ending later than usual,” Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a pediatric infectious diseases physician Mayo Clinic, said in a recent article. RELATED: Making Sure You Don’t Get...