November is COPD Awareness Month, and it is a good time to also be aware of a virus that can be very serious for patients with Chronic Obstructive Disease. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus that most people associate with infants and young children. But RSV is also frequently associated with acute respiratory illness in older adults, especially those with chronic lung disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “about 177,000 older adults are hospitalized annually in the U.S. with an RSV infection, and about 14,000 of them die from [RSV]”.
The CDC has an excellent resource that teaches you how to recognize the symptoms of RSV, and how to avoid getting it and spreading it. You can read about preventing RSV on the CDC’s website here:
Protect Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus
This November, celebrate COPD Awareness Month by learning all you can about protecting yourself and others from this very common virus!