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Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a disease of the respiratory system that is particularly debilitating to premature infants. Easily transmitted, this virus kills an estimated 4,500 people a year. It is such a common virus that most people will contract it as least once, if not several times, throughout their lifetime. By the time most children reach the age of two, they have already gone one round with RSV.

• Most cases of RSV are mild, however premature infants are more likely to suffer from severe attacks of RSV, and to suffer complications from secondary infections.

The infection tends to concentrate its attack on the mucus membranes, namely those in the nose, throat and lungs. While adults and older children are only contagious for about 3-8 days, infants can be contagious for almost four weeks.

Due to their size, infants suffer the worst from RSV. Their air passages are small to begin with, and they can easily become clogged with mucus. When this happens, infants can contract RSV bronchiolitis or RSV pneumonia. These complications are very serious and often require hospitalization. In premature infants, they can be fatal.

Initially, RSV may appear to be nothing worse than a run-of-the-mill cold. Your first indication that this is not a cold may be when your baby's cough takes on a whooping sound, much the same as an infant with whooping cough. This sound occurs when the lungs become so congested that it is difficult for the baby to breathe.

• Most RSV infections occur during the winter months.

All symptoms associated with the common cold are also associated with RSV, including sore throat, earache, and coughing up mucus.

• Specific symptoms of RSV includes a 'whooping' sounding cough, severe congestion of the lungs, a copious amount of clear nasal discharge, and apnea (they temporarily stop breathing).

When a patient presents symptoms of RSV, doctors' can take a culture and test it for the presence of the virus. They can also test for RSV with a blood test, but it takes longer to get the results. An antigen-antibody test can also be preformed, but there is some question as to the accuracy of this test in detecting RSV.

The best treatment for RSV would be a vaccine, but as of yet, one does not exist. In the meantime, because RSV can be so difficult on premature babies, doctor's will often give preemies immune globulin. This is not the same as a vaccine. Rather, this treatment will provide the preemie with only a temporary immunity to the disease. Immune globulin must be given on a monthly basis in order to continue providing the infant with protection against RSV.

• Breastfeeding your baby can provide it with the antibodies needed to resist an RSV infection during the first few weeks of life. If your baby is a preemie, ask the staff if you can breastfeed him, or if he can be fed your expressed milk.

When a patient does contract RSV, there is not a whole lot that the medical community can do, other than to treat the symptoms. The disease itself is a virus, so antibiotics have no effect upon it. However, antibiotics may be given to treat secondary bacterial infections that arise due to the RSV.

• There are some medications being used against the RSV virus itself, but their effectiveness and safety are still in question and are not suitable for use in all cases. You will need to rely upon your doctor to prescribe the correct measures to treat your infant.

There is some indication that children who suffer from severe cases of RSV may be more prone to develop asthma. They may also have a tendency to wheeze, due to lung damage suffered during the illness.

Your best chance of protecting your baby from contracting RSV is not to allow anyone with a cold or cold like symptoms to come into contact with the baby. They may be suffering from an undiagnosed case of RSV, or they might simply have a cold. Either way, you don't want your baby catching anyone else's 'germs'.

Even more important, wash your hands! Better yet, have everyone wash their hands, frequently. Hand washing is simple and one of the most effective means of preventing the spread of infections.