How To Recognize The Signs And Symptoms Of RSV And How To Prevent It

What is RSV?

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a highly contagious virus that infects the respiratory tract of children. It normally affects kids before their second birthday. For the healthy and older children, the said illness is harmless, they will just experience common cold symptoms such as runny nose, mild headache, fever, cough and sore throat.

However, for the infants, premature babies and children with weakened immune system, the said infection can lead to other more serious illness. In fact, around 100, 000 babies require hospitalization annually due to RSV.

What are the symptoms of RSV?

If you have a baby, you should pay extra careful to his or her health. If your child is not feeling well and the sickness is accompanied with other symptoms such as high fever, cough with yellowish, greenish or gray mucus, unusual irritability, loss of appetite, dry skin, thick discharge from the nose, signs of dehydration, including lack of urine in the diaper and difficulty of breathing, then you should call your doctor right away because your baby might be suffering from RSV.

Moreover, if you notice that your child's lips or fingernails are turning blue, seek medical help immediately. Likewise, if your baby is breathing rapidly.

How to prevent RSV?

RSV can easily be spread when a person touches something contaminated. It can also be spread through sneeze or cough. With that being said, it is very important to know how to prevent the said infection.

Since RSV can easily be spread through touching infected person, you should always wash your hands before you touch your baby. Likewise, don't allow other people to touch your baby without washing their hands first. In addition, disinfect and clean hard surfaces. Moreover, don't kiss your baby if you have a cold. The same thing goes to the other members of the family -- if they have cold symptoms, keep them away from your child.