What is RSV, and is it contagious? The baby I have in my home daycare has it.?

Answer 1

Respiratory Syncytial Virus


Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is a viral disease of the lungs. It is one of the most important causes of lower respiratory tract illness in infants and young children.
RSV is spread by contact with droplets from the nose or throat of an infected person.
Persons with mild infections usually get better without treatment. Severely ill children often need to be hospitalized.
There is currently no vaccine to prevent RSV infection. The best ways to prevent the spread of RSV are to cover coughs and sneezes and to wash hands often and well. Intravenous immune globulin treatment has recently been approved for use in high-risk infants.


What is respiratory syncytial virus infection?

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is one of the most important causes of lower respiratory illness in infants and young children. It also causes both mild and serious respiratory diseases in older children and adults.



What is the infectious agent that causes RSV infection?

RSV infection is caused by the respiratory syncytial virus.



Where is RSV infection found?

RSV infections occur worldwide. Most children are infected at least once by age 2 and continue to be reinfected throughout life. In temperate climates, RSV infections usually occur in the winter. Peaks occur in January and February in the United States.



How do people get RSV infection?

The virus is found in discharges from the nose and throat of an infected person. People can get RSV infection by:

Breathing in droplets after an infected person has coughed
Hand-to-mouth contact after touching an infected person
Hand-to-mouth contact with a surface that an infected person has touched or coughed on


What are the signs and symptoms of RSV infection?

RSV infections can range from very mild illness to serious lower respiratory tract infections, including pneumonia, that occur mostly in the very young, the very old, and those with weakened immune systems. Symptoms can last for a few days to several weeks.

Signs and symptoms in young children are usually mild and similar to a cold. They include stuffy nose, cough, and sometimes ear infection. In older children and adults, RSV causes upper respiratory infection involving the nose, throat, or sinuses.

Children who develop a lower respiratory tract infection often have low-grade fever for several days, a cough that sometimes lasts more than 2 weeks, and respiratory symptoms including difficult or rapid breathing and deep coughing. Symptoms in newborns and young infants may include irritability, listlessness, and poor feeding.



What complications can result from RSV infection?

A person with a first RSV infection can develop severe breathing problems that need to be managed in the hospital. RSV infections in premature babies less than 6 months old and in infants with chronic lung, heart, or immune problems are most likely to be severe and lead to death.



How soon after exposure do symptoms appear?

Illness usually starts within 3 to 5 days of infection.



How is RSV infection diagnosed?

There are tests for RSV infection, but the diagnosis is sometimes based on symptoms and time of year.



Who is at risk for RSV infection?

People of any age can be infected. Very young infants, premature infants, and children with underlying lung, heart, or immune system problems are at high risk for severe RSV disease. The virus can also cause serious illness in elderly persons and in adults with lung disease or weakened immune systems.



What complications can result from RSV infection?

Infants and young children with a first RSV infection can develop a severe infection in the lower respiratory tract. Approximately 80,000 children are hospitalized with these infections each year. Most children needing hospitalization are newborns and infants and those with weak immune systems, congenital heart or lung disease, or prematurity.



What is the treatment for RSV infection?

Most people with mild RSV infections usually get better without treatment. Care of patients with mild illness centers on relieving symptoms and easing breathing. Those with more serious infections are sometimes treated in the hospital with the anti-virus drug ribavirin. Some hospitalized patients need intensive care and mechanical ventilation (respirator).



How common is RSV infection?

RSV is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract illness in infants and young children. In the United States, approximately 50% of infants and young children become infected with RSV each winter season. RSV causes about 90,000 hospitalizations and 4,500 deaths per year in children under age 5 years.



Is RSV infection an emerging infectious disease?

Yes.



How can RSV infection be prevented?

There is currently no RSV vaccine. The best ways to prevent the spread of RSV are to cover coughs and sneezes, wash hands often and thoroughly, and dispose of used tissues properly. Immune globulin intravenous (IGIV) treatment to prevent RSV infection has recently been approved for use in high-risk infants.



This fact sheet is for information only and is not meant to be used for self-diagnosis or as a substitute for consultation with a health-care provider. If you have any questions about the disease described above, consult a health-care provider.

Hope this helps you.

Answer 2

Yes, as stated above RSV is very contagious. I am the mother of preemie twins and preemies are considered high risk for RSV related death. They were given what many refer to as the "RSV vaccine" ( it actually is not a vaccine at all - it is complicated, but in layman's terms it is more like an antibody injection that is given every 28 -30 days during the 9 months of RSV season).

If the baby has been diagnosised with RSV, it sounds like the baby has already been taken to the doctor. If that is the case the parent was probably told to keep the child at home (isolation is the most effect way to prevent the spread of RSV).

If I were you I would call the parent to come and get the child and ask for drs release to return to daycare. Contact all the parents of the other children and maybe even go to www.CDC.gov and print the handout that is on the site and give it to them. I believe synagis.com also has info that you can print - synagis is the name of one of the medications.

Those most "at-risk" of death from RSV is preemies under 2, adults over 60, and those with respiratory related problems or immune related illnesses.

WHAT MY DOC TOLD ME: The virus causes extremely large amounts of mucus in the respiratory system - at-risk groups are usually not able to cough and break it down. Anytime your child has a cold, watch for labored breathing. Look at the area below the ribs, if you see this area "caving in" call 911, but you may already be too late. Many children die in route to the hospital because they stop breathing and the lungs can't be cleared. Another problem is that like most viruses, there is no cure. Oxygen therapy, antibiotics to prevent secondary infections, steriods etc... but no "quick cure". If you have any kids with asthma or any preemies or infants under 2, I would sit down with the parents and BEG them to educate themselves.

ALSO - THE POST THAT STATES THE MOST KIDS ARE VACCINATED AGAINST RSV IS WRONG! Sorry for "screaming", but already too many children die from this every year. We don't need people thinking there is a vaccine!

Answer 3

Yes it is very contagious! Send that baby home, and also warn all the other children's parents about it! When my 2 boys got it, they got it from a daycare! One of them ended up in the hospital for several days! It is nothing to play around with and should be considered highly contagious! Do let that child back into you daycare until you receive a written note from the pediatrician that it is safe for the baby to return!
Good Luck!

Answer 4

RSV is Respiratory Syncytial Virus and is HIGHLY contagious. Send that baby home!! Virus lasts for about 10 days. Too many complications can arise from this baby being around other children who are or may become sick as well. I wouldnt risk it..good luck

Answer 5

yes it is very contagious. call that babies mother and tell her to come immediately and take her little one to the doctors. RSV- Respiratory Syncytial virus, it is an infection of the lungs and breathing passages. can be spread through coughing,sneezing, and on surfaces. can be very serious if not taken care of. my friends baby almost died from this. take precautions especially if you have your own child make sure you disinfect everything that this baby has touched. good luck

Answer 6

oh my gosh!! send that baby home . it is very contagious!! it can lead to long term problems like asthma. If you have other babies or children in your daycare, the baby should be sent home.

Answer 7

Take the kid to the doctor..do not out him back in daycare until the doctor says so.

Answer 8

Yes very. Do not let the child stay and be around other children. It is a respiratory condition.

Answer 9

respiratory syncitial virus, most kids are vaccinated against it, its very contagious and possibly fatal in some cases. try looking on webmd.com to research it furthur. im not sure if i spelled it right