RSV is a leading cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis in babies and young children, resulting in more hospitalisations than influenza.¹

In Australia, RSV results in over 15,000 hospital admissions for infants and young children <5 years of age annually. Almost 12,000 of these hospitalisations are for infants below 12 months of age.⁵

A recent systematic review of 481 studies across 58 countries estimated that, in 2019, children 5 years and younger with an RSV infection accounted for⁷: 

• 33 million RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) episodes
• 3.6 million hospitalisations due to RSV-associated ALRI
• 26,300 RSV-associated ALRI in-hospital deaths
• 1 in every 50 deaths of children 5 years and younger (mostly in developing countries) 

In Australia, RSV became a nationally notifiable disease on 1 July 2021.⁸ According to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, in 2024, over 160,000 cases have been reported year to date (October), with 50% of cases in children under the age of four.⁸

An Australian study estimating the incidence of RSV-associated hospitalisation found:⁹

• In children under the age of 5, the incidence rate of RSV was 418 per 100,000
• In infants under the age of 6 months, the incidence rate was 2,253 per 100,000
• Indigenous infants are twice as likely to be hospitalised for RSV as non-Indigenous Australians

While most babies who require hospitalisation for RSV infection are otherwise healthy, there are a number of risk factors associated with an increased risk for severe RSV disease. These factors include:^2,9

• Young age (especially infants under 3 months of age)
• Prematurity
• Haemodynamically-signficant congenital heart disease
• Chronic pulmonary disease

Importantly, Indigenous infants and young children in Australia face a hospitalisation risk for RSV that is twice as high when compared to non-Indigenous babies and children.⁹

RSV is highly contagious and can spread to infants and children when^3,10:

• They have close contact with sick people
• They get virus droplets from a cough or sneeze in their eyes, nose, or mouth
• They touch a surface that has the virus on it, like a doorknob, table, or toy, and then touch their own face before washing their hands

RSV can survive on contaminated surfaces for prolonged periods, including skin (30 minutes), fabric (2 hours), gloves (5 hours), and furniture (7 hours).^1,10

People infected with RSV are usually contagious for 3 to 8 days. However, some infants and people with weakened immune systems can continue to spread the virus even after they stop showing symptoms, for as long as 4 weeks.¹¹

RSV symptoms vary and may be similar to symptoms from other respiratory infections symptoms may range from mild and moderate to severe.³

RSV generally causes mild disease in infants and young children. However, it can become more severe in just a few days.^2,3

As RSV symptoms are similar to other respiratory infections, a RSV diagnosis can be confirmed with a PCR nasopharyngeal swab.¹³

Management of RSV illness consists of supportive care including rest, maintaining fluid intake and paracetamol.^2,13 For hospitalised children, management is also supportive and can include hydration, oxygen supplementation and, if needed, mechanical ventilation.² 

General infection prevention and control practices are essential to minimise the risk of RSV transmission, particularly during increased RSV circulation in the community.²

RSV is highly contagious, so it is important to take preventive measures to reduce the risk of infection:³

There are simple steps that your patients can take to reduce the transmission of RSV at home, at school, or in the workplace:³

Further information around the prevention of RSV is also available in the Australian Immunisation Handbook.