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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffNo vaccine exists for respiratory syncytial virus. But common-sense precautions can help prevent the spread of this infection:
- Wash your hands frequently. Do so particularly before touching your baby, and teach your children the importance of hand washing.
- Avoid exposure. Limit your infant's contact with people who have fevers or colds. This is especially important in premature babies and all infants in the first 2 months of life.
- Keep things clean. Make sure countertops are clean in the kitchen and bathrooms, especially when someone in your family has a cold. Discard used tissues right away.
- Don't share drinking glasses with others. Use your own glass or disposable cups when you or someone else is sick. Label each person's cup.
- Don't smoke. Infants who are exposed to tobacco smoke have a higher risk of contracting RSV and potentially more severe symptoms. If you do smoke, never do so inside the house or car.
- Wash toys regularly. Do this especially when your child or a playmate is sick.
Protective medication
In addition, the medication palivizumab (Synagis) can help protect children under age 2 who are at high risk of serious complications when they get RSV, such as those born prematurely or with congenital heart or lung disease.
Synagis works by providing the necessary antibodies to protect against respiratory syncytial virus. It requires a monthly injection into the muscle tissue of the thigh during the peak RSV season, beginning in the fall and continuing for about five months (usually November through April). Injections are repeated every year until the child is no longer at high risk. The medication doesn't interfere with childhood vaccines.
Use of this treatment decreases the frequency and length of hospitalization for respiratory syncytial virus infections. But the high cost of the medication limits its use to those at highest risk of complications from RSV infections. The medication isn't helpful in treating respiratory syncytial virus infection once it has developed. Talk to your doctor if you think your child may qualify for this treatment.
Scientists are working to find a vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus not only in infants but also in older adults and high-risk adults.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Respiratory syncytial virus. In: Pickering LK, et al. Red Book: 2006 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. 27th ed. Elk Grove, Ill.: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2006. http://aapredbook.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/2006/1/3.107. Accessed June 9, 2009.
- Barr FE, et al. Clinical features and diagnosis of respiratory syncytial virus infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 15, 2009.
- Peters TR, et al. Respiratory syncytial virus. In: Long SS, et al. Principles and Practices of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/143546809-2/0/1679/229.html?tocnode=55244158&fromURL=229.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06687-0..50228-9_4167. Accessed June 10, 2009.
- Respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSV): Infection and incidence. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/rsv/about/infection.html. Accessed June 10, 2009.
- Busselen S. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/143685797-2/0/1701/508.html?tocnode=56571976&fromURL=508.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-04134-8..50021-5--subchapter11_10747. Accessed June 10, 2009.
- Respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSV): Transmission and prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/rsv/about/transmission.html. Accessed June 10, 2009.
- Perez-Yarza EG, et al. The association between respiratory syncytial virus infection and the development of childhood asthma: A systematic review of the literature. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. 2007;26:733.
- Barr FE, et al. Treatment and prevention of respiratory syncytial virus infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 18, 2009.
- Ventre K, et al. Ribavirin for respiratory syncytial virus infection of the lower respiratory tract in infants and young children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007:CD000181.
