Everything the Average Adult Needs to Know About RSV
When respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is in the media, the virus is typically portrayed as a concern for very young children and older adults. The emphasis on those age groups makes sense: According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), infants younger than six months, some young children, adults 60 to 74 with underlying medical conditions, and all adults 75 and older are at the highest risk of contracting severe RSV, which can result in hospitalization, pneumonia, or the worsening of conditions such as heart disease and asthma. Although children and the elderly are most at risk, younger adults can still contract RSV.
RSV in adults "is likely a very mild illness that presents like a cold, hence why it may be underreported," says Waleed Javaid , M.D., a board-certified infectious disease physician and director of Infection Prevention and Control at Mount Sinai hospitals in New York City. "Severe illness can occur, especially in people who are immunocompromised, but it would be rare in healthy adults."
The average, healthy adult may not need to worry about tracking seasonal RSV trends or ending up in the hospital if the virus is contracted, but simple precautionary steps can help prevent RSV nonetheless. A mild illness is, after all, an illness, and one best kept at bay. Ahead, learn more about how RSV manifests in otherwise healthy adults, and how to avoid the virus this winter.
What are the symptoms of RSV in adults?
"We shouldn't panic [about RSV]. It is, in most cases, a cold," says Diana Finkel , D.O., a board-certified infectious disease physician and director of the Infectious Disease Fellowship Program at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey. Thanks to its similarities with the common cold, a healthy adult who has come down with RSV may not even realize that they are dealing with this particular virus. And since most adults won't require a doctor visit when sick with RSV, they won't get tested to find out.
Chances are, your case of RSV will feel quite similar to a run-of-the-mill cold. "The most common RSV symptoms are similar to other respiratory illnesses," says Dr. Javaid. You might notice a fever, runny nose, cough, muscle pain, and sneezing, as well as "slight respiratory distress." According to Dr. Finkel, otherwise, healthy adults typically come down with RSV between four and six days after exposure to the virus and will be symptomatic for about a week. But she points out that if symptoms are not improving or you have trouble breathing, visit your doctor or get urgent medical care—no matter what age bracket you're in.
Even in people 18 to 60, some folks should be especially cautious if RSV is contracted: people with comorbidities such as diabetes, heart disease, or lung disease, and pregnant people. The CDC recommends immunization in all adults older than 75, and adults 60 to 74 who have comorbidities that increase the risk of severe RSV, with one exception for adults: pregnant people during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy. (Babies 19 months or younger are then protected via RSV antibodies.) If you or a loved one fall into any of those categories, talk to your doctor about how best to prevent and detect RSV.
What precautions can adults take against RSV?
"The most important thing to remember is: Whether it's RSV, the flu, COVID, or another infectious illness, everyone needs to protect themselves," says Dr. Javaid. Luckily (well, depending on how you look at it) the best precautions are ones familiar from the Coronavirus pandemic era — like washing your hands as much as possible, cleaning surfaces, avoiding others who have cold-like symptoms, and wearing a mask when in contact with someone who is ill. Of course, those measures can also be used in reverse when you are the one who's sick; try to isolate at home if possible, wear a mask when it isn't, and cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough.
Asked just how worried the average, healthy adult should be about RSV, Dr. Finkel was cautiously optimistic. "Maybe not very," she says. "But we don't live in a bubble. [Many of us] have older family members and younger nieces, nephews, and sometimes our own children. We want to make sure we stay as healthy as we can." For you and your loved ones, take good care to avoid RSV this season.
