Respiratory syncytial virus, known as R.S.V., is one of the world’s most common respiratory illnesses and the leading reason infants go to the hospital in the United States.
It infects roughly 64 million people around the world each year. In the United States, it sends tens of thousands of children to the hospital annually and kills as many as 10,000 adults aged 65 and older.
R.S.V. typically begins spreading in the fall, with cases peaking around mid-winter. And it can be a “mean virus,” said Dr. Sean Liu, an associate professor of infectious diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
Most people who get infected develop fairly mild symptoms, which can include coughing and wheezing, a runny nose, fever, loss of appetite and congestion. But adults 75 and older and babies are at higher risk of getting seriously sick. People with compromised immune systems and underlying chronic conditions are also more likely to die from the virus.
While most people recover at home, patients with severe cases are hospitalized and may receive supplemental oxygen and IV fluids.
There are more options than ever to guard against the virus. Over the last several years, the Food and Drug Administration has approved vaccines for adults and monoclonal antibodies for infants that defend against the disease — although insurance hurdles and supply challenges have at times constrained people’s ability to access them. And many patients might have been unaware that they were even eligible, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. As of this past spring, only around half of U.S. adults 75 and older had gotten vaccinated.
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The post R.S.V. Season Is Approaching. Here’s How to Protect Yourself. appeared first on New York Times.
