What is RSV?
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus that can affect people of all ages but is potentially very serious for babies, young children and older adults.
More common than we thought
6000 people are admitted to hospital every year with RSV in Australia, 95% of them are children under 5. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic with increased testing for many viruses, RSV is now recognised as a significant cause of illness in older adults, similar in frequency and severity to influenza.
What are the symptoms?
It can cause a range of symptoms, from a mild cold through to severe lung disease such as bronchiolitis (in babies) and pneumonia.
How is it spread?
It’s very contagious, spread by droplets in the air and via surfaces. Most children will get infected by the age of 2 but you can catch it again.
What is the treatment?
Because it’s a virus, antibiotics can’t be used to treat it, meaning severe lung disease can result in hospitalisation for supportive treatment such as oxygen.
Mild symptoms can be treated as a head cold: staying home to avoid infecting others, rest, keeping your fluids up and simple analgesics like paracetamol or ibuprofen for headaches and fever.
Those at high risk for severe infection such as babies and older adults should check in with their doctor if these simple measures aren’t helping or there are breathing difficulties.
Can it be prevented?
Some good news! We finally have a vaccine available and there are a few others in the pipeline. Just this year, a new vaccine against RSV, Arexvy, was approved for use in adults over the age of 60 and is available now. Just a single dose is required and is very effective with an 80-95% reduction in severe illness.
Side-effects of the vaccine are similar to other vaccines, such as pain and swelling around the injection site, or feeling a bit flu-y for a day or two. These can usually be managed with simple analgesics like paracetamol.
Arexvy is not currently funded by the government but is available on private prescription at a cost of around $300.
ATAGI recommend a single dose of Arexvy for:
- All adults aged 75 years and over
- Adults aged 60-74 with medical conditions that increase the risk of severe illness
- All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders aged 60 years and over
It can be given at the same time as other vaccines.
Other RSV vaccines
The TGA has just (March 2024) approved an RSV vaccine for pregnant women to help protect their babies, but it’s not available yet. There are also two antibody injections that can prevent RSV in infants – these are funded by the NSW government for eligible babies, see HERE or talk to your GP to see if your baby is eligible.
At the time of writing, RSV was circulating in high levels so come and have a chat with your GP soon to discuss whether RSV vaccination is right for you.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko
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