Respiratory syncytial virus infection, or commonly known as RSV, is similar to a bad cold and has the same symptoms that one has during cold. Like cold, RSV is also communicable and most of the kids have it once by the age of 2.

Though it’s not a very serious thing to worry about but sometimes RSV can lead to pneumonia or other health issues in babies. Therefore, it’s very vital that you watch out for RSV symptoms and get medical help if things become worse.

It is caused by a virus and spreads from one person to the other. The RSV virus attacks your eyes, lungs, throat and nose. Like cold, it spreads when you sneeze, cough or share food. As RSV has many kinds, human body never really becomes resistant to it and one can have it a number of times throughout his life; especially during the same season. 

Symptoms of RSV
General symptoms call for:

• Cough
• Runny nose
• Mildly aching throat
• Earache
• Fever
   

Other symptoms as found in babies include:

• Lack of energy
• Fussiness or quirkiness
• Lesser appetite
• Serious symptoms as wheezing (going short of breath)
   

What happens when your child has RSV?
If your child’s immune system is healthy and he catches RSV, the infection would stay mild and appear like a cold. Children with upper respiratory system symptoms like sore throat or runny nose, recover in nearly 10 to 14 days.

RSV has two different types and several different subtypes. This is why one fails to have complete immunity against the RSV virus. In kids, the first RSV infection occurs by the age of 2 and it generally tends to be severe. They are at a risk of developing serious compilations as breathing trouble. The most common of complications happen to be bronchiolitis and pneumonia.

When should you call a doctor?

You should immediately call a doctor, if your child:

• Breathes faster than normal
• Develops severe cold symptoms
• Develops shallow coughing throughout the day and night
• Develops poor hunger
• Becomes lesser active
• Faces any issue with breathing
   

Treating RSV: A Synopsis
RSV infections with mild symptoms go away in 10-14 days time frame. For such milder infections, you can rely on home treatments which are as given:

 

• Look for dehydration signs such as being thirstier than normal and having darker urine. Your child may lose excess of liquid due to faster breathing, fever, or vomiting. Make sure to increase your child’s liquid intake; go for more frequent breast or bottle feeding. Don’t give your child soft drinks, undiluted fruit juice, or water because they may have excess of sugar, lesser calories and lesser vital minerals.
• Relieve your child’s symptoms through medicines like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Keep your child in upright position, as this helps in making breathing easy.
• Antibiotics need to be given only when symptoms become severe like an earache. Consult the doctor and get the prescription. Also, ensure you complete the entire dosage as prescribed.
   

Preventing RSV in Kids
Although there’s no sure way of preventing RSV in kids as it’s easy to catch like a cold, you can still take care of the following things to reduce the chances of your child getting infected by RSV virus:

 

• Teach your child to wash hands frequently as this prevents the spread of infection.
• Ensure the child is given all vaccines like Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and pneumococcal vaccines.
• Breast milk is said to protect kids against RSV infection; therefore try to breastfeed your baby for at least six months.
• Keep your child away from second hand smoking as it aggravates mucous membranes in your child's nose, sinuses, and lungs, making him more vulnerable to infections.
   

Prevention is always better than cure; you can keep your child safe from such infectious diseases by encouraging healthy habits!