RS virus: This respiratory disease particularly affects children
The RS virus usually occurs in greater numbers from November to February. Many infants and young children have already gone through the respiratory disease in the past few months. The reason for this is the end of the corona lockdown and other corona measures, which have so far largely prevented contact with pathogens.
RS virus briefly explained
The RS virus (RSV) is a worldwide RNA virus that has a particularly high mutation rate due to its genetic material.
The virus can therefore adapt flexibly to the host. This allows the pathogen an easy escape from the body’s immune response. After an infection, the following course usually occurs:
- The RS viruses initially multiply in the nasopharynx. Symptoms include a runny nose, non-productive cough and sore throat.
- The movement of the nasal hairs enables transport into the lower respiratory tract. This is usually followed by a productive and mucous cough, fever  and breathing difficulties.
In healthy people, the infection is usually limited to the (upper) respiratory tract, but in people with a weak immune system, the virus can spread throughout the body. The incubation period, i.e. the time from infection to the onset of the disease, can last between three and eight days.
That is why the RS virus is particularly dangerous for children
While the RS virus usually only causes a mild cold in adolescents and adults, RSV poses a particular risk to babies and small children.
Among other things, the virus attaches itself to the lungs – the immature and more sensitive the lungs are, the more likely it is that the upper and lower respiratory tract will be infected with spasmodic coughing and even spastic bronchitis . The swelling of the bronchial mucosa and increased mucus formation make exhalation even more difficult.
A possible consequence: inflammation of the bronchial trees, up to pneumonia . Infants and young children therefore often need additional oxygen and support when breathing.
Babies and children with the following previous illnesses are particularly affected by severe courses:
- chronic lung diseases
- muscular problems
- leukemia
- Immunodeficiencies
- cystic fibrosis
- congenital heart defects
- Chromosomal abnormalities (such as trisomy 21)
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the global mortality rate for children who are hospitalized for RSV is around 0.2 percent. Antibody therapy is an option for children at risk. The immune system is prepared for the RSV infection and trained to fight off the RS virus. In some cases, however, prophylaxis could come too late due to the early infection period.
What to do if you have an RSV infection?
If the symptoms are severe, a pediatrician should be consulted. Since it is a viral infection, antibiotic therapy is not suitable. Rather, the symptoms such as a runny nose, cough and fever should be treated with the help of appropriate medication. Home remedies such as tea , plenty of fluids, inhaling  and gargling, and warm neck wraps can also have a supportive effect.
The pediatrician also decides whether prophylaxis is necessary in advance to prevent a possible infection. Parents are recommended to keep the everyday life of the healthy children as normal as possible even after the end of the contact restrictions and to enable them to visit kindergarten and daycare.