Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

At a glance

Vaccine preventable – check who’s eligible
Vaccine included on the National Immunisation Program – check who’s eligible
Nationally notifiable disease

About RSV

RSV is a common respiratory virus that spreads easily. It can cause mild to severe illness.

Children aged under 2 years are most commonly affected and can become very sick from RSV.

Why it matters to public health

RSV is a leading cause of infection of the lower airways and lungs in young children and older adults.

Almost all children have been infected with RSV by 2 years of age. Reinfection with RSV can occur throughout life.

RSV infection is more common in the cooler months (April to September) across most of Australia. In tropical areas, RSV can sometimes peak during the wet season.

RSV infection is a common cause of hospitalisation in young babies. It is also an important cause of hospitalisation in older adults and other people at increased risk of severe disease.

On average, each year in Australia, RSV causes about:

500 deaths
27,900 hospitalisations.

This is why immunisation is important.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with a qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

Common RSV symptoms include:

fever
runny or stuffy nose
sore throat
cough
ear pain.

Not everyone gets all these symptoms, and they can range from mild to severe.

Babies, especially those aged under 1 year, can develop bronchiolitis (infection of small airways) or pneumonia (infection of the lungs). Symptoms include:

wheezing
difficulty breathing
irritability
poor feeding.

Other children and older adults can also get very sick with RSV.

healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether you need to see a health professional.

Check your symptoms

Onset of symptoms

Symptoms usually start around 2 to 8 days after getting infected.

How it spreads

RSV spreads easily through the air from an infected person’s respiratory tract. When people breathe, talk, cough or sneeze, RSV can travel through the air or land on people and surfaces.

The virus can spread to others when it:

comes into contact with people’s mouth, nose or eyes
is breathed in
lands on surfaces or objects which people touch and then touch their mouth, nose or eyes.

Infectious period

A person with RSV can infect others for about 7 to 10 days after symptoms begin.

Prevention

Immunisation

Get vaccinated

RSV vaccination is recommended for:

pregnant people at 28-36 weeks of pregnancy, to protect newborn babies
people aged 75 years or older
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 60 years or older
people with medical risk factors for severe RSV disease aged 60 years or older.

Monoclonal antibody medicines are ready-made antibodies that give fast protection for 5 to 6 months.

RSV monoclonal antibodies are recommended for:

young infants up to 8 months of age whose parent did not receive RSV vaccine during pregnancy, or who were vaccinated less than 2 weeks before birth
young infants up to 8 months of age who are at increased risk of severe RSV disease, regardless of their parent’s vaccination status during pregnancy
children aged 8 months to under 2 years who have medical risk factors for severe RSV disease in their second RSV season.

Eligible people can get the RSV vaccine for free under the National Immunisation Program. If you are not eligible for a free vaccine, you can buy one from your health professional or pharmacy.

Other prevention steps

You can also help protect yourself and others by:

staying home and keeping children home, while unwell with symptoms
putting physical distance between yourself and others
regularly washing your hands and maintaining respiratory hygiene
improving ventilation, such as by opening windows
wearing a mask when around other people, if able.

Priority groups and settings

Some people are at greater risk of getting RSV infection or getting very sick from it.

RSV can spread quickly in homes and other settings including:

hospitals
residential care facilities including aged care or disability care homes
childcare centres
schools.

People at greater risk of severe disease

RSV might pose a greater risk of severe illness for:

babies and young children, especially those who were born prematurely or to a parent who did not receive RSV vaccination during pregnancy
people aged 60 years or older
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
people with some chronic conditions
people with weakened immune systems.

People at greater risk of becoming infected

Anyone can be infected with RSV.

People who have a lot of close contact with others, especially young children, might be more likely to be exposed to RSV. This includes through their jobs, childcare, living situation, or other activities.

Diagnosis and treatment

RSV is usually diagnosed through laboratory testing of a swab collected from the nose or throat.

Rapid antigen tests that can be done at home are also widely available from supermarkets and pharmacies.

Surveillance and reporting

RSV is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.

Health authorities in each state and territory report new cases to us through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

RSV data is also collected through other surveillance systems, as guided by the Australian National Surveillance Plan for COVID-19, Influenza, and RSV.

We analyse the data, and report on RSV case numbers through:

the Australian Respiratory Surveillance Report
our data visualisation tool, where you can filter and search for the latest information.

This is part of national surveillance to monitor case numbers and disease patterns.

Outbreaks

Seasonal RSV outbreaks occur most often in autumn and winter months or, in tropical areas, in the wet season.

State and territory health departments provide guidance and support for outbreaks of RSV in some situations – for example, in aged care homes or hospitals.

Read more about recommendations for managing outbreaks of respiratory infections in residential aged care homes