RSV in Adults
The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes cold-like symptoms in many people — but it can also be a life-threatening infection. Many people associate RSV with children, and for good reason: Most kids have had RSV by their second birthday. However, the virus can also infect adults. Learn the basics about RSV, including what you can do to prevent and treat it.
Managing RSV
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is very common in kids, but it affects adults as well. And certain adults — such as older adults, those with heart or lung disease, and those with a weakened immune system — are at higher risk of a serious case of RSV. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year more than 60,000 older adults in the United States are hospitalized due to RSV, and more than 6,000 die of the infection. Learn more about who’s at risk and what can be done to prevent and treat RSV infection.
All RSV
All RSV
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Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of childhood illness, but adults get it too. For healthy children and adults, an RSV infection is usually mild. It causes symptoms like headache, sneezing and coughing. Similar to the common cold, RSV symptoms usually clear up in about a week or… -
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common infection that can affect the lungs and respiratory system. For most people, RSV leads to mild cold-like symptoms such as cough, sneezing and runny nose. But complications are more likely among babies, adults with immunocompromising conditions, and older adults. Below, find answers to… -
Many people associate respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) with babies. And for good reason — this highly contagious virus can be especially serious for infants and children. The threat of RSV is one reason new parents may turn away visitors or ask people to wash their hands before holding the baby. -
Remember that cold you had last year? It may not have been a cold after all. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can look a lot like the common cold. They both spread through coughs, sneezes and infected surfaces like doorknobs. In healthy adults, symptoms of both viruses are generally mild and… -
For most healthy adults, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) might mean a few days on the couch watching reruns. The virus’s cold-like symptoms — a runny nose, cough and sore throat — can feel crummy. But they aren’t typically serious enough to call the doctor. However, that’s not the case for… -
When it’s functioning well, your immune system easily traps and fends off the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the upper respiratory tract. As your immune system fights the infection, you might feel stuffed up. Your nose might run, and you may experience a dry cough, a low-grade fever, a sore… -
Respiratory viruses can affect your heart more than you might expect — and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is no exception. In healthy people without heart disease, an RSV infection usually feels and progresses like the common cold. Their noses run. They feel congested. They cough, and they might get… -
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is no big deal for most people. When infected with RSV, many people experience typical cold symptoms — runny nose, congestion, dry cough — for several days. Then it’s over. However, if you have asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or another lung disease, an RSV… -
Two respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines are coming to the market nearly 60 years after the National Institutes of Health first attempted to develop one. In May 2023, pharmaceutical companies GSK and Pfizer received approval from the U.S. -
For most adults, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) isn’t high on their list of worries. This contagious virus is so common that almost everyone has had it at least once before the age of 2 — and several times in adulthood as well. For most people, the cold-like symptoms of RSV… -
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a powerful virus that typically rears its head in the fall and winter months alongside the flu. It can present as an A strain or a B strain. Once infected with RSV, a person can experience one of several outcomes based on their age and… -
Fall tends to be cold and flu season in the U.S. It’s also when RSV typically begins to circulate. “RSV is an acronym, for the respiratory syncytial virus,” says Robert M. Jacobson, M.D., a Mayo Clinic pediatrician. “It’s a nearly ubiquitous virus in that it comes around every winter. It…
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