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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffA baby may develop bronchiolitis after catching a virus from an adult or child who has a common cold. When you have a cold, wash your hands before you touch your baby, and consider wearing a face mask as well. Frequent hand washing in general reduces the spread of viruses that cause bronchiolitis. If your child has bronchiolitis, keep him or her at home until the illness is past to avoid spreading it to others.
These other simple but effective ways can help curb spread of the infection:
- Limit your child's contact with people who have a fever or cold. If your child is a newborn, especially a premature newborn, avoid exposure to people with colds in the first two months of life.
- Keep bathroom and kitchen countertops in your home clean. Be especially careful if another family member has a cold. To disinfect the area, you can use a solution of bleach and water made with a tablespoon of bleach per gallon of cool water. Don't mix in any other chemicals, as this can create a toxic chemical reaction. Always store homemade mixtures in a labeled container out of the reach of young children.
- Use a tissue only once. Discard used tissues promptly, then wash your hands or use alcohol hand sanitizer.
- Use your own drinking glass. Don't share glasses with others.
- Be prepared away from home. Keep a waterless hand sanitizer handy for yourself and for your child when you're away from home.
- Wash hands. Frequently wash your own hands and those of your child.
No vaccine available
There's no vaccine for bronchiolitis. But the medication palivizumab (Synagis) can help decrease the likelihood of RSV infections in infants with high risk of severe disease, as well as decrease the need for hospitalization and limit severity of the illness. Palivizumab is typically given through a single injection into a large muscle, such as the thigh, once a month during the peak RSV season — from November through March.
Palivizumab doesn't interfere with childhood vaccines. The expense generally limits its use to infants at particularly high risk of RSV infection, such as those born very prematurely or with a heart-lung condition or a depressed immune system.
- In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 76th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2009. Accessed Aug. 5, 2010.
- Piedra PA. Bronchiolitis in infants and children: Clinical features and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 5, 2010.
- Watts KD, et al. Wheezing, bronchiolitis, and bronchitis. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 18th ed. Saunders Elsevier; 2007. Accessed Aug. 5, 2010.
- Everard ML. Acute bronchiolitis and croup. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2009;56:119.
- Seiden JA, et al. Bronchiolitis: An evidence-based approach to management. Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine. 2009;10:75.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Aug. 8, 2010.
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