RSV information and awareness platform Türkçe Frequently asked questions

For parents

How it spreads and how to prevent it

RSV is a highly contagious respiratory virus that spreads readily through droplets and close contact. Knowing the routes of transmission clarifies what can be done at home.

Key message Children usually meet RSV outside the home — at school or childcare — and carry it back. Protection therefore has to be planned for the whole household, not just the baby.

How does RSV spread?

RSV can spread when:1

  • A person who has RSV coughs or sneezes near you
  • Droplets from a cough or sneeze that contain the virus get in your eyes, nose or mouth
  • You have direct contact with someone with RSV — for example kissing the face of a child who has it
  • You touch a surface carrying the virus, such as a doorknob, and then touch your face before washing your hands
  • 3–8 days Typical period of contagiousness. People may become contagious a day or two before symptoms begin. CDC
  • 4+ weeks How long some infants and immunocompromised people can keep shedding the virus after symptoms stop CDC
  • Many hours How long the virus can survive on hard surfaces such as tables and crib rails. On soft surfaces such as tissues and hands it lives for shorter periods. CDC

Why do people get it again?

The immune response to RSV does not confer complete or lasting protection, so people can be infected repeatedly throughout life and the virus circulates without interruption.3 People of any age can get RSV, but most people get it for the first time as an infant or toddler; nearly all children will have had RSV before their second birthday.1

Measures you can take at home

Everyone can take actions to help reduce the spread of RSV and other respiratory viruses.1

  1. Practise good hygiene

    Cover your coughs and sneezes, wash or sanitise your hands often, and clean frequently touched surfaces.1

  2. Take steps for cleaner air

    Bring in fresh outside air, purify indoor air, or gather outdoors where possible.1

  3. Stay home when sick

    Stay home and away from others when you are ill. This matters especially in a household with a newborn.1

  4. Use additional tools

    Masks, physical distancing and testing can also be used.1

Why do crowded households matter?

Because RSV spreads by droplets and contact, household crowding directly increases transmission. In crowded homes where several people have RSV at once, infants are exposed to a higher viral load, which brings infection earlier in life and makes it more severe.4

A study in Zambia found a significant association between household crowding and RSV deaths, independent of age, sex and geography.5 Data reported from South-East Asia indicate that crowded living conditions not only increase transmission but also worsen disease severity.6

Transmission within hospitals

RSV has high transmission potential in hospitals, particularly in paediatric wards. During epidemics, roughly 20–40% of children admitted may acquire RSV on the ward, and the rate of hospital-acquired transmission among healthcare workers can reach 50%. Close contact and contaminated surfaces drive this spread, which also causes staff absence through illness.7

Related pages

Sources

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). How RSV spreads. www.cdc.gov/rsv/causes/index.html · 2026-08-04
  2. Mazur, N. I., Higgins, D., Nunes, M. C., Melero, J. A., Langedijk, A. C., Horsley, N., Buchholz, U. J., Openshaw, P. J. M., Pollard, A. J., & Nair, H. (2024). Respiratory syncytial virus. The Lancet, 403(10439), 1541–1555. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00314-2
  3. Jha, A., Jarvis, H., Fraser, C., Openshaw, P. J. M., & Semple, M. G. (2024). Respiratory syncytial virus infection. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 37(1), e00003-23. doi.org/10.1128/cmr.00003-23
  4. Zar, H. J., Cacho, F., Kootbodien, T., Mejias, A., Ortiz, J. R., Stein, R. T., & Hartert, T. V. (2024). Early-life respiratory syncytial virus disease and long-term respiratory health. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 12(10), 810–821. doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(24)00121-6
  5. Murphy, C., MacLeod, W. B., Forman, L. S., Mwananyanda, L., Kwenda, G., Pieciak, R. C., Mupila, Z., Thea, D., Chikoti, C., & Yankonde, B. (2021). Risk factors for respiratory syncytial virus–associated community deaths in Zambian infants. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 73(Suppl 3), S187–S192. doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab165
  6. Asseri, A. A. (2025). Respiratory syncytial virus: A narrative review of updates and recent advances in epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, management and prevention. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(11), 3880. doi.org/10.3390/jcm14113880
  7. French, G., Bennett, N., & O'Leary, S. (2021). Nosocomial transmission of respiratory syncytial virus in pediatric departments: A systematic review of burden and prevention. Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, 10(3), 284–291. doi.org/10.1093/jpids/piab003
  8. Li, Y., Wang, X., Blau, D. M., Caballero, M. T., Feikin, D. R., Gill, C. J., Madhi, S. A., Omer, S. B., Simões, E. A. F., Campbell, H., ve ark., & Nair, H. (2022). Global, regional, and national disease burden estimates of acute lower respiratory infections due to respiratory syncytial virus in children younger than 5 years in 2019: A systematic analysis. The Lancet, 399(10340), 2047–2064. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00478-0

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The information on this site is for general guidance only and does not replace examination, diagnosis or treatment by a clinician.