A GP guide to respiratory syncytial virus
Patterns of respiratory syncytial virus infection have evolved with the recent pandemic and efforts to find preventive and treatment strategies continue
Respiratory syncytial virus is a single-stranded RNA virus which causes infection of the respiratory tract. Discovered in 1956, it is one of the most common viral causes of childhood illness.1,2
Respiratory syncytial virus infection is a leading cause of infant mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.2
It is attributed to one in every 28 deaths in infants aged 28 days to six months.3
Peaking seasonally, usually in the winter months, it can cause severe disease in young infants, especially in the first year of life, and in the presence of risk factors such as extreme prematurity and congenital heart disease.
