Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) In Babies

A common respiratory germ, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract illness in infants and young children. The disease usually begins in the fall and runs into the spring season. RSV is a highly contagious disease and spreads by touching, kissing or even shaking hands with the infected person. In infants and young children, RSV can cause pneumonia, bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways of the lungs), and croup. It causes both mild and serious respiratory diseases, in babies. The ailment usually starts within 3 to 5 days of infection. The infection, caused in premature babies less than 6 months old or to infants with chronic lung, heart or immune problems most likely is severe in nature and often leads to death. You can avoid infection or irritation in breathing passages of the babies, by not allowing anyone to smoke near the baby. To know more about the symptoms and treatments of respiratory syncytial virus, browse through the following lines.

Common Symptoms

Treatment
Since RSV is caused by virus and not by bacteria, antibiotics cannot be used as a part of the treatment process. There are a number of factors one needs to look at before treating the baby such as baby's age, overall health and medical history, the extent of the condition, baby's tolerance for specific medications, procedures or therapies and the expectations for the course of the condition. In caser your kid has a mild infection, the best bet would be to make him/her comfortable as possible, allow time for recovery and provide plenty of fluid. Kids with mild infection need not be hospitalized. However, infants and children with a severe RSV infection need to be admitted to the hospital, so they can receive oxygen, humidified air, and fluids by IV. At the hospital the infant may be on either or the following: