Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus. It is a seasonal virus and usually occurs more frequently in autumn and winter, but the timing and how bad a season is can change from year to year.
For most people, RSV infection will cause a mild illness with cold-like symptoms, however in some cases it can lead to a more serious illness. Infants, older people and people with lung or heart problems or a weakened immune system are most at risk of serious illness.
Even though many people haven't heard about RSV it's not a new virus. In older Australians there were similar numbers of flu and RSV infections reported in 2023 based on the Australian Government's national disease surveillance data.1
In older adults, RSV can also lead to more serious respiratory infections such as pneumonia and can worsen existing lung and heart health problems like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma or heart failure.
RSV isn't just a one-time thing. People can get RSV multiple times throughout their lives.
Symptoms of RSV
RSV has similar symptoms to flu and COVID-19. It's a highly contagious virus with symptoms taking up to 10 days to appear. In older adults symptoms may include:
- Runny nose/sneezing
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Irregular breathing (e.g., rapid, shallow, or difficult)
- Wheeze
- Aches
- Phlegm
- Headache
- Fever
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
Individuals should speak to their healthcare professional for advice and management.
Risk factors for serious illness
Lung Disease
e.g. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Asthma
Heart Disease
e.g. Congestive Heart Failure and Coronary Artery Disease
Diabetes
Chronic Kidney or Liver Disease
Prevention
Speak to your healthcare professional to discuss your prevention options.
Help protect yourself against RSV
Speak to your healthcare professional about your risk for serious RSV and your prevention options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Resources
RSV in Australia
A PDF Fact Sheet providing key information about RSV and its impact in Australia.
RSV at Health.gov.au
External Link to Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care – RSV infection information
RSV at Immunisation Coalition
External Link to Immunisation Coalition – RSV disease information
RSV at Healthdirect
External Link to healthdirect – RSV
1NNDSS dataset Australia. 2023 influenza cases in adults aged 60 years and older. https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/national-notifiable-diseases-surveillance-system-nndss-data-visualisation-tool?language=en. Accessed February 2024.
2The study (Saravanos GL, et al. Med J Aust. 2019 Jun;210(10):447-453) was conducted using de-identified national hospitalisation data (86,687 hospitalisations) for the period 1 January 2006 – 31 December 2015 from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Hospital Morbidity Database.
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