RSV, a Hidden Threat to Infants

Having a baby is one of the most enriching experiences. You will bring your bundle of joy out to meet loved ones, but your baby is also being exposed to pathogens for the first time. A virus that is particularly nasty for babies is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is highly contagious and more common than you think. In Singapore, RSV circulates all year and could cause severe illness in infants.

Here’s what you need to know.

What is RSV?

A sniffle may seem like nothing to worry about, but could be a symptom of something serious, such as RSV.

Unfortunately, most parents have not heard about RSV which is highly infectious and typically causes mild symptoms in healthy adults, but can unknowingly be spread to infants and cause severe disease. [i]^,[ii]

In infants under 6 months old, RSV accounts for 47% of hospitalized bronchiolitis and pneumonia cases[iii], even in babies born healthy and full-term.[iv] By age one, 2 out of 3 infants would have already been infected.^[v] As there is no way to anticipate which infant will suffer a serious infection, immunisation is the most effective way to prevent RSV.[vi]

Keep Your Child Safe from RSV

There are various options available that you can ask your doctor about, depending on the gestational age, medical conditions, or whether you prefer antenatal or postnatal immunisation.

Protecting your baby from birth up to 6 months to 1 year old is important due to the risks of serious infection, and now possible with immunisation. Speak to your OBGYN and pediatrician early so that you know what to expect when your baby is born.

For further information on RSV, visit TogetherAgainstRSV.sg for more information.

[i] Healthline. Symptoms of RSV in Adults Explained. https://www.healthline.com/health/symptoms-of-rsv-in-adults

[ii] World Health Organization. Factsheet: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/respiratory-syncytial-virus-(rsv)

[iii] Tam CC, Yeo KT, Tee N, et al. Burden and Cost of Hospitalization for Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Young Children, Singapore. Emerg Infect Dis. 2020;26(7):1489-1496. doi:10.3201/eid2607.190539

[iv] Walsh E. Clin Chest Med 2017; 38(1): 29–36. Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: An Illness for All Ages,

Clinics in Chest Medicine, Volume 38, Issue 1, 2017 (29-36). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccm.2016.11.010.

[v] Walsh E. Clin Chest Med 2017; 38(1): 29–36. Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: An Illness for All Ages,

Clinics in Chest Medicine, Volume 38, Issue 1, 2017 (29-36). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccm.2016.11.010.

[vi] Openshaw PJM et al. Annu Rev Immunol 2017; 35: 501–532

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