Understanding the ABCs of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) can help parents protect their premature infants from a dangerous, but little understood, disease. A recent survey, however, found that all to many parents don't know enough about RSV disease. According to the survey, most parents cannot identify the symptoms, risks or complications from RSV and they didn't know the season extends from fall until spring. Awareness is lowest among young and low-income parents, with 89 percent reporting they had never even heard of RSV. Even among high-risk groups, awareness was low with less than one-quarter of multi-birth parents and parents of preemies reporting that they had not heard of RSV at all.

RSV is a serious pediatric disease that occurs annually around the cold and flu season. For at-risk infants, such as those born prematurely or with chronic lung conditions, this common childhood infection is nothing to sneeze at. The symptoms of RSV are similar to a cold at first and can include fever, runny nose, coughing, difficulty breathing, rapid breathing and wheezing.

The disease may progress very quickly, so it is important to take all precautions and to consult a physician at the earliest onset of RSV symptoms. There can be serious consequences to RSV disease in high-risk infants. RSV is highly contagious, spread by physical contact such as touching, kissing or any close contact with an infected person or object.

RSV is the most common cause of lower respiratory infection in babies. Current data show that in the U.S., up to 125,000 children younger than the age of 1 year are hospitalized annually due to RSV-related illnesses. In addition to the serious health consequences, the cost of treating a child for RSV-related illnesses can be more than $70,000.

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.