Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a very common infection in which population?

• A. Infants and children
• B. Adults
• C. Elderly
• D. Athletes

Answer: (A)

RSV is a respiratory virus that most commonly affects the youngest patients. In infants and young children, the airways are small and the immune system is still maturing, so RSV frequently causes bronchiolitis and pneumonia. This makes RSV a leading infection in this age group, often resulting in medical visits or hospitalization for more severe cases. Adults can get RSV as well, but their illness tends to be milder and it’s much less common as the primary infection compared with infants. The elderly can experience serious disease from RSV, but the overall frequency is still higher in infants and children. Athletes don’t have a specific association with RSV prevalence.