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What is Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)?
RSV is a contagious virus that can affect the lungs and breathing passages of an infected person.1

                WHO IS AT INCREASED RISK OF RSV?
                                  Anyone is susceptible to RSV but it can be more serious for the following groups of people:1,3,5

WHO IS AT INCREASED RISK OF RSV?
Anyone is susceptible to RSV but it can be more serious for the following groups of people:1,3,5  


RSV SPREADS QUICKLY & EASILY4


UNDERSTANDING MORE ABOUT RSV
WHAT ARE THE RISKS?
Older Adults

•It has been estimated that each year 336,000 older adults are hospitalised globally due to RSV.12
•RSV can cause respiratory disease that may make it difficult to breathe or possibly requires hospitalisation.10


Young Children/Babies
 
•RSV can make your baby sick especially in the first 6 months of life.1 
•RSV may cause lower respiratory tract infections in infants which may lead to more serious breathing issues like pneumonia, bronchiolitis, wheezing or respiratory failure.3
 
 

Talk to your healthcare professional for more information on RSV.
REFERENCES
1. Walsh EE, Hall CB. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles
and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 2015;1948-1960.e3.
2.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). RSV in Infants and Young Children. Available
at: https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/infants-young-children/index.html
3.Carvajal JJ, Avellaneda AM, Salazar-Ardiles C, Maya JE, Kalergis AM, Lay MK. Host Components
Contributing to Respiratory Syncytial Virus Pathogenesis. Front Immunol. 2019;10:2152.
4.Mayo Clinic. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/
diseases-conditions/ respiratory-syncytial-virus/symptoms-causes/syc- 20353098.
5.Savic M, Penders Y, Shi T, Branche A, Pirçon J-Y. Respiratory syncytial virus disease burden in
adults aged 60 years and older in high-income countries: A systematic literature review and
meta-analysis. Influenza Other Respi Viruses. 2023;17(1):e13031.
6.Glezen WP, Taber LH, Frank AL, Kasel JA. Risk of primary infection and reinfection with respiratory
syncytial virus. Am J Dis Child. 1986;140(6):543-546.
7. Hall CB, Weinberg GA, Blumkin AK, et al. Respiratory syncytial virus-associated hospitalizations
among children less than 24 months of age. Pediatrics. 2013;132(2):e341-e348.
8. Parikh RC, McLaurin KK, Margulis AV, et al. Chronologic Age at Hospitalization for
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Among Preterm and Term Infants in the United States. Infect Dis
Ther. 2017;6(4):477-486.
9. Kwon YS, Park SH, Kim MA, et al. Risk of mortality associated with respiratory syncytial virus
and influenza infection in adults. BMC Infect Dis. 2017;17(1):785.
10. Surie D et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72(40): 1083-1088.
11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). RSV in Older Adults. Available at: https://
www.cdc.gov/rsv/older-adults/
12. Shi T, Denouel A, Tietjen AK, et al. Global Disease Burden Estimates of Respiratory Syncytial
Virus- Associated Acute Respiratory Infection in Older Adults in 2015: A Systematic Review
and Meta- Analysis. J Infect Dis. 2020;222(Suppl 7):S577-S583.
13. American Heart Association (AHA). RSV and heart health. Available at: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/rsv
PP-UNP-IRL-0961 | October 2025
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