RSV: What It Is and How to Prevent it

RSV: What It Is and How to Prevent it

Wintertime is here, and with that comes cold and flu season. There’s a good chance you’ve heard a lot about RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus, this year.

RSV is a “cold-like” respiratory virus known to affect children most commonly under the age of two. It has symptoms like the common cold such as cough, runny nose, sore throat, and sneezing. While most cases of RSV are relatively mild and resolve on their own in two weeks or less, it can be more serious for others, leading to bronchiolitis and pneumonia which require hospitalization to treat.

While a vaccine is on the way, it’s important to know what to look out for and the precautions you can take to protect yourself and your family in the meantime.

Clean Your Spaces

Whether it’s your home, car or workplace, disinfecting the places you frequent is essential to protecting yourself and others from RSV. Just like you would with a cold or flu, you should use surface wipes and sprays to kill viruses before they spread. However, not all products kill RSV, so read the fine print to make sure your cleaning agent will get the job done.

Wipe Things Down

Remember to clean frequently touched items, too, like your phone, keys, and even your laptop. Working from an office or common space? Have a cloth handy for doorknobs, light switches, railings or other public surfaces.

Sanitize Your Hands

Keeping your hands clean is one of the best strategies for preventing infection. Go through your kitchen and bathrooms to make sure every sink is stocked with hand soap. Our award-winning Foaming Soap is the perfect thing to have around, leaving hands soft and killing 99.99% of germs! For the ultimate protection, always wash thoroughly and frequently.

On the go? Use hand sanitizer! Keep our Sanitizer Travel Mist in your bag or backpack for easy hand cleaning access wherever the day takes you.

Keep Your Distance

RSV is contagious and easily transmittable. Maintaining your distance from others with cold-like symptoms is key to staying healthy. Avoid sharing cups, utensils, or other kitchenware, and keep handshakes to a minimum in more formal settings.

RSV can feel scary and uncertain, but we hope that taking the right precautions will help you prepare for a safe, happy, healthy, and virus-free winter!