Yes, adults can get RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). In fact, most adults have had an RSV infection at least once in their lives. You’ve almost definitely had RSV — respiratory syncytial (sihn-SIHSH’-ul) virus — at least once.

Most of the time an RSV infection is merely uncomfortable, but in some cases it can be life-threatening. Among adults, it’s most risky for older adults with weakened immune systems or chronic conditions such as heart or lung disease.

Peak season for RSV infection in the United States is fall, winter, and spring. But some doctors have been seeing infections in warmer months as well.

For most healthy adults who get RSV, the virus causes symptoms resembling those of a cold or the flu:

• Runny nose
• Nasal congestion
• Sore throat
• Coughing
• Fatigue
• Fever

A barking or wheezing cough, however, may be reason to worry about RSV. It may signal the infection is getting worse and has spread to the lower respiratory tract, causing bronchiolitis (an inflammation of the small airways in the lung) or pneumonia (an infection of the lungs).

Like other respiratory infections, RSV is highly contagious and spreads via sneezing, coughing — even kissing.

Groups at high risk of severe disease from RSV include people with a weakened immune system or underlying heart or lung disease and adults ages 65 and up.

Each year, an estimated 60,000 to 160,000 older adults in the United States are hospitalized due to complications from RSV, and 6,000 to 10,000 die from the virus.

“This is due to older adults having a lower respiratory reserve and less lung capacity,” says Inessa Gendlina, MD, PhD, an infectious diseases physician at Montefiore Health System and an assistant professor in the department of medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.

Severe disease from RSV infection can also worsen existing symptoms of heart disease, asthma, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The virus, Dr. Gendlina notes, is now known to have a high mortality rate for people with these conditions, particularly the frail elderly.

Adi S. Shah, MBBS, an infectious disease expert at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, says the impact of RSV infections on older adults will also depend on other underlying conditions, including diabetes, obesity, or kidney disease.

“Outcomes are better in those patients that do not have these risk factors,” he says.

If you’re sick with some type of respiratory infection and don’t know which kind, Dr. Shah says it’s best to get tested.

While the symptoms of RSV can overlap with those of COVID-19 and the flu, there are several laboratory tests available to help with diagnosis.

Your doctor can carry out an antigen or PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test to identify or rule out RSV as the cause of your symptoms.

If you can’t get to your doctor or another healthcare facility, you have a new option: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized emergency use of a direct-to-consumer three-in-one home test by Labcorp that can determine whether you have the flu, COVID-19, or an RSV infection. You swab your nose to collect a sample, then FedEx it to a lab for PCR analysis.

You can purchase a kit without a prescription online or in stores. The test results will come back in around one to two days through an online portal. You can then follow up with a healthcare provider.

There is no treatment for a mild or moderate RSV infection. In most cases, doctors simply recommend drinking plenty of fluids, taking over-the-counter pain or fever medication, and resting. Symptoms should go away on their own in a week or two.

The FDA had approved one drug to treat severe lung infections caused by RSV, an antiviral drug called ribavirin. The downside is it’s known to have multiple and potentially serious side effects.

Gendlina says people who are severely immunocompromised — a blood stem-cell transplant recipient, for example — may take oral or inhaled ribavirin, possibly in combination with intravenous immunoglobulin (antibodies from healthy people), to fight off the infection.

To prevent RSV infection, the FDA has now approved three vaccines for adults ages 60 and up:

• Arexvy, from GSK (GlaxoSmithKline)
• Abrysvo, from Pfizer
• mRESVIA, from Moderna

All are highly effective at preventing severe illness caused by RSV. Note that it is safe to get an RSV vaccine at the same time as other vaccines, such as the flu vaccine.

If you are virus-free and want to stay that way, or are sick and want to avoid infecting others, the CDC also suggests the following:

• Wash your hands often. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth to prevent the spread of viruses from your hands.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when sneezing and coughing, or sneeze and cough into your elbow.
• Avoid close contact (within six feet) with others who have coughs, colds, or are sick with a known RSV infection.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Don’t share cups, bottles, or other objects. RSV can live on such surfaces for hours (and be transmitted to your hands).
• If you are prone to sickness or have a weakened immune system, stay away from large crowds of people.
• Clean frequently used surfaces (such as door knobs and countertops) with a virus-killing disinfectant.

Adults can get RSV, and for many older adults, infection from this virus can be risky. While mild cases tend to get better on their own, doctors may treat more serious cases with antiviral medication. You can prevent the spread of RSV with simple steps such as hand washing, and there are now several vaccination options for adults age 60 and above.