Epidemiology RSV has a substantial social impact, both in economic terms and in terms of human suffering. Since its fortuitous discovery, it has been learned that RSV is a major human pathogen and is the leading cause of lower respiratory infection in infants and small children. Some children may become infected during three or four successive RSV seasons. In the absence of adequate infection-control practices, RSV can spread very rapidly in the hospital environment. 11 Transmission occurs by contact with infectious secretions through hand contamination and self-inoculation of eyes, nose, or mouth.
Infection can also occur through contact with large droplet aerosols or fomites.
Transmission can be prevented by frequent hand washing by parents and health care providers, isolating infants from people with upper respiratory infections, and avoiding secondary tobacco smoke, crowds and young siblings during the RSV season. In the hospital setting, infected infants should be cohorted to prevent large-scale nosocomial outbreaks. Among low birth weight and premature infants, reported rates of hospital admissions for respiratory infection range from 41 to 85 admissions per 100 child-years. References Morris, Blount, Savage. Hall CB et al.