By Marla Jones

Managing Editor

marla@southerntorch.com

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory earlier this month due to an unusual increase in the spread of a RSV.

RSV, which is short for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, is on the rise in the South. 

RSV infections are the most common cause of bronchitis and pneumonia in kids under the age of one in the United States, typically occurring in the fall and winter during flu season. 

RSV infections "primarily spread via respiratory droplets when a person coughs or sneezes, and through direct contact with a contaminated surface."

Usually, the common respiratory illness,  RSV, only causes a minor cold but could lead to bronchitis and pneumonia. 

Since late March, the spread of the RSV has been on the rise in southern states such as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Tennessee.

Symptoms in young children are decreased appetite followed by a cough, sneezing, fever and wheezing.  Symptoms in adults are pharyngitis, cough, headache, fatigue, and fever.

Other than symptom management, there is currently no specific treatment for RSV infection.