11/07/25 Public Health Education Topic: RSV
- Health Department
- Nov 7
- 1 min read
Per CDC
What to know
RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms.
Infants and adults who are older or have certain risk factors are more likely to develop severe RSV and need hospitalization.
CDC recommends immunizations to protect infants, some young children, and adults who are older or have certain risk factors that increase the risk for severe RSV.
RSV can be dangerous for infants and older adults
RSV does not usually cause severe illness in healthy adults and children. However, some people with RSV infection, especially infants younger than 6 months of age and adults who are older or have certain risk factors, can become very sick and may need to be hospitalized.
RSV can also cause more severe illness such as bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lungs) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs). It is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children younger than 1 year of age.
In the most severe cases, a person may require:
Additional oxygen,
IV fluids if they can't drink enough to stay hydrated, or
Intubation (have a breathing tube inserted through the mouth and down to the airway) with mechanical ventilation (a machine to help a person breathe).
In most of these cases, hospitalization lasts only a few days.
To learn more visit the CDC website and/or download the pdfs below
