Eighty percent of babies under the age of one catch RSV.

“They probably mostly catch it from other children,” Dr. Andrew Pavia with the University of Utah Health and Primary Children’s Hospital said. 

RSV is not just a risk for children. One-hundred-seventy-seven thousand older adults are hospitalized each year with RSV. Fourteen thousand die from it, and what you don’t know about it could land you in the hospital.

First off —true or false: RSV spreads through contact with contaminated surfaces.

The answer? No — it spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes releasing tiny droplets into the air.

Question 2: Is RSV always a severe illness?

The answer? That depends. It often mimics the common cold, but RSV can quickly turn into bronchiolitis and pneumonia.

“The older you get, the milder the disease is until you become about 60 and then it becomes severe again,” Dr. Pavia said.

And because RSV is a virus, antibiotics don’t help.

What is true is that prevention is key — a vaccine has recently been approved for adults over the age of 60, infants and pregnant women.

“The protection that babies get from their mothers getting vaccinated lasts a maximum of about six months and starts to fade after about three months,” Pavia said. “So, this isn’t lifetime protection, but it does protect babies during their most vulnerable months.” 

And remember, it’s never too late to get vaccinated.

While the immediate effects of RSV are often the primary focus, the virus can also have long-term consequences. Some studies suggest a potential link between severe RSV infections in infancy, and the development of asthma and wheezing later in childhood.