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What Is RSV?

A light blue background with a stethoscope, thermometer, and two medicine vials, with the acronym RSV in dark blue letters.

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a viral infection that affects your lungs. It also can wreak havoc in your throat, nose, and sinuses. It’s an incredibly common virus: Most children have had it by the time they turn two years old. In many cases, they then pass it on to family members.

Symptoms of Respiratory Syncytial Virus

RSV has several symptoms, including:

  • Wheezing
  • Sneezing
  • Runny nose
  • Fever
  • Decreased appetite
  • Coughing

Unfortunately, RSV can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms are similar to those of many other diseases and conditions, including:

  • Sinusitis
  • Pneumonia
  • COVID-19
  • COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
  • Common cold
  • Bronchitis

Having an RSV Test Performed

At Cape Regional Urgent Care, we can test for RSV for your peace of mind. It typically feels better knowing what you’re sick with than staying in the dark. But unless you’re in a high-risk group, the treatment for RSV will be the same as if it was just a cold. Practice self-care. Rest. Drink plenty of fluids. Take Tylenol or Advil for the fever.

You’re at a greater risk for RSV complications arising if you have a heart, lung, or immune system problem, or if you’re under 1 or older than 65. The doctor you see at Cape Regional Urgent Care may also give you a list of symptoms that, if you have any of them, warrant a trip to the emergency room. These may include:

  • Wheezing
  • Excessive coughing
  • A high fever
  • Trouble breathing
  • Lips, fingernails, or skin taking on a blue tinge

The last symptom is extremely important to look for. It can mean you’re not getting enough oxygen in your body.  

If you are in one of the higher-risk groups, we may want you to follow up with your primary care doctor if you have one. If not, the staff at Cape Regional Urgent Care will be here to assist you and answer your questions about RSV.

How RSV Spreads

RSV season is the same as cold and flu season. It starts in autumn and lasts through winter and early spring. There are several ways the virus can spread, including:

  • Droplets of saliva or mucous becoming airborne when an infected person sneezes or coughs
  • Having physical contact with someone who’s infected by the virus, such as kissing your baby’s face
  • Touching a hard surface where the virus can survive for several hours, and then touching your face

RSV typically lasts for three to eight days. But you can be contagious a day or two before you start showing signs that you’re infected. If you start feeling ill, you should wear a mask whenever you’re in public to protect others from catching your RSV. You may also consider wearing a mask during RSV season to avoid catching the virus.

Why You Should Choose Cape Regional Urgent Care for Your RSV Concerns

At Cape Regional Urgent Care, we have one mission: to offer best-in-class medical care for all your health concerns. Our urgent care center was founded by a team of doctors in 2010. They’d seen that long waits in the emergency room, and longer waits to see primary care physicians, were preventing people from receiving the care they needed. So, they started Cape Regional Urgent Care to fill the gap between those two options. The wait is over. Contact us today about your RSV questions, or walk in to one of our three convenient locations, so our board-certified doctors can take care of you.