Respiratory syncytial virus: what community nurses should know

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an acute respiratory viral infection and is the main cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection during the first year of life (Lozano et al, 2012; Nasreen et al, 2014). It usually causes a mild, self-limiting respiratory infection in adults and children, but it can be severe and cause bronchiolitis in infants. There was a reduction in RSV during the Covid-19 pandemic, but figures appear to be rising again (Agha and Avner, 2021; van Summerten et al, 2021).