Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

Posted on August 22nd, 2024

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

RSV is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs. It is a common virus which can cause a lung infection called bronchiolitis. RSV infection often causes symptoms similar to a cold, including:

cough
sore throat
sneezing
a runny or blocked nose

It can also make you become wheezy or short of breath and lead to pneumonia and other life-threatening conditions. There is no specific treatment, and most infections will get better by themselves.

Every year thousands of older adults need hospital care for RSV, and some of them will die. RSV can be more severe in people with medical conditions such as heart or lung disease or a weakened immune system. RSV infection is common in young children but is most serious for small babies and for older people. In small babies this condition can make it hard to breathe and to feed. Most cases can be managed at home but around 20,000 infants are admitted to hospital with bronchiolitis each year in England. Infants with severe bronchiolitis may need intensive care and the infection can be fatal. RSV is more likely to be serious in very young babies, those born prematurely, and those with conditions that affect their heart, breathing or immune system.

From 1 September 2024, we will be able to offer the vaccine to pregnant women to protect their babies against the virus and those who turn 75 and those age 75 to 79 will also be eligible for a free vaccine.

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