The start of RSV feels like a mild cold, with symptoms appearing 2-8 days after exposure, including a runny nose, sneezing, cough, and sometimes a low-grade fever, but it can progress to wheezing and breathing difficulty, especially in young children, making it feel more severe. In infants, it might just be fussiness, irritability, or reduced appetite, with rapid, shallow breaths.
RSV has the potential to make you really sick. Usually, as an adult, when you become ill with RSV you have mild cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, cough and a headache. But sometimes, and for some people, you can become so ill you need to be hospitalized.
People who become infected with RSV show symptoms within four to six days after the virus enter the body. Initial signs of RSV are similar to mild cold symptoms, including sneezing, runny nose, fever, cough and decrease in appetite. Very young infants may be irritable, fatigued and have breathing difficulties.
Signs and symptoms of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection most commonly appear about four to six days after exposure to the virus. In adults and older children, RSV usually causes mild cold-like signs and symptoms.
Symptoms start about 2 to 5 days after contact with the virus. The early phase of RSV in babies and young children is often mild, like a cold. In children younger than age 3, the illness may move into the lungs and cause coughing and wheezing. In some children, the infection turns to a severe respiratory disease.
The first signs of RSV in babies are often similar to those of a common cold, however, the virus can progress quickly and become a serious lung infection, causing other complications, such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis: The first symptoms of RSV can include: Congestion. Runny nose with green mucus (snot)
Early symptoms of RSV may include: Runny nose. Eating or drinking less. Cough, which may progress to wheezing or difficulty breathing.
Signs of RSV typically peak on days three, four and five of illness. They may include: Runny nose. Coughing.
As a general rule, your child should not go to school if they have: A fever over 100.4° Fahrenheit (F) or 38° Celsius (C) – Your child can return to school after they've been fever-free for 24 hours without antipyretics. Antipyretics are medicines that treat or prevent fever.
4 ways to tell you have RSV, not a cold.
You're contagious with RSV for 3 to 8 days after symptoms start, but can spread it 1-2 days before symptoms appear, and sometimes for up to 4 weeks, especially infants or immunocompromised individuals, even after feeling better. The virus spreads easily through droplets from coughing/sneezing and can live on surfaces for hours.
Yes, RSV can occur without a fever. This is especially common in older children and adults whose immune systems can fight the virus without triggering a significant rise in body temperature.
Rapid breathing at a rate of over 40 breaths per minute. Tight breathing (having to work hard to push air out). Coughing (may cough up very sticky mucus). Fever and a runny nose often start before the breathing problems.
The most common symptoms of RSV include:
Symptoms of influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-uhl) virus (RSV), and COVID-19 are similar and may include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Because the symptoms are similar, it can be difficult to distinguish between illnesses caused by respiratory viruses.
The main symptoms of a chest infection can include: a persistent cough. coughing up yellow or green phlegm (thick mucus), or coughing up blood. breathlessness or rapid and shallow breathing.
Use a humidifier to keep air moist, which can help lessen coughing and ease congestion. Use saline nasal spray or drops to help clear congestion. If your child is sick, avoid giving them cold medicine before checking with their doctor as some contain ingredients that aren't safe for kids.
Babies with RSV might experience disrupted sleep, worsened at night, due to symptoms like coughing and fever. Tips to help babies sleep better with RSV include keeping them hydrated, suctioning their nose, using a cool mist humidifier, and following medical advice for fever management.
In previous years, you might have had to visit a healthcare professional to be tested. But now you can easily self test at home for COVID and flu. And, in May 2022, the FDA authorized the first at-home test that can detect the flu, COVID, and RSV — all from one sample.
Sleeping More When You're Sick Is *Totally* Normal—And Evidence of Your Immune System in Action. The reason why being sick makes you tired (and why you sleep so much when you're sick) is because your immune system needs sleep to recover.
Signs of Respiratory Distress
The signs and symptoms of pneumonia may include:
Typically, RSV causes cold symptoms. Those symptoms may be followed by bronchiolitis or pneumonia. These are infections of the lower airways in the chest or lungs. RSV symptoms are typically at their worst on days 3 through 5 of illness.