Something called RSV is a very common virus that causes mild, cold-like symptoms in adults and older healthy children, but in young or at risk children, RSV can become more serious.

Internal Medicine physician Stephen Zellner says that "Respiratory Secicial virus, or RSV for short is a viral infection that occurs predominately in children. It's the leading cause for pneumonia, respiratory infections, hospitalizations for respiratory illness in young people."

Pediatrician Eric Jones says that usually, RSV causes mild, cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose and fever. However, in some babies, the symptoms can be much worse. "It causes them to cough, to breath very, very fast and very, very heavy and it produces, the hallmark of it is this thick, heavy, nasty sticky mucus in your nose and lungs."

Dr. Zellner also says that treatment for RSV is similar to that used for other viruses, primarily focuses on relieving the symptoms with the appropriate medications. "Treat the symptoms of cough and bronchitis with mucolitics. Control the fever, control the temperature so that there's no neurologic complication of the RSV infection."

Dr. Zellner explains that the virus can live for half an hour or more on your hands, up to 6 hours on countertops, and for several hours on used tissues. "It's contagious, it's communicated by droplet nuclei or secretions coughing, sneezing but also probably by hand contact."

RSV prevention is another reason why you should be washing your hands especially before touching your baby and asking others to do the same.

Young children who are exposed to tobacco smoke, who attend daycare, who live in crowded conditions or who have school-aged siblings are at higher risk for contracting RSV. Most children with RSV recover fully from the illness in 8 to 15 days.