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Reducing the risk of infections

RSV is a common, highly contagious virus, but there are things you can do as a parent to reduce your baby's risk of being infected.

For starters, you can practice basic techniques that have been shown to reduce the transmission of all kinds of infections, including RSV:

• Wash hands: Wash your hands frequently with soap and water–especially before you touch the baby. Make sure siblings and visitors wash their hands as well.
• Avoid exposure to illness: If you have a cold or fever, avoid kissing your baby, and limit your infant's exposure to people who have a contagious illness.
• Keep surfaces clean: Because the RSV virus can live on surfaces for hours, make sure countertops and bathroom surfaces are cleaned regularly with cleanser – especially when someone in the family has a cold. Make sure to clean toys regularly, and always after a child with a cold has played with them.
• Avoid crowds: Try to avoid crowded places such as shopping centers, daycares, and large family gatherings where your baby will come into contact with lots of people – and all their germs.
• Avoid second-hand smoke: Minimize your baby's exposure to second-hand smoke. Exposure to tobacco smoke can increase your baby's risk of contracting RSV and increase the risk of more severe symptoms if they do contract the virus. Don't smoke around your baby and don't let others do so.

If you think your baby may be at high risk for serious complications of RSV infection, talk to your doctor.

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