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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Yes, usually. Video assessment, symptom relief and a check for complications; there is no specific antiviral for RSV.
- Symptoms: like a cold, with a runny or blocked nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat and fever; wheezing or breathlessness mean the chest is involved.
- Higher risk: older adults, especially over 75, and anyone with a weakened immune system or a long-term lung or heart condition.
- How long: most adults recover within 1 to 2 weeks, although the cough can last for weeks; you are infectious for about 3 to 8 days.
- Emergency: call 112 if you are gasping for breath, cannot finish a sentence, or your lips or skin turn blue or grey.
Do not book a video appointment if you are struggling to breathe or cannot speak in full sentences, feel confused or unusually drowsy, or your lips or skin look blue, grey or very pale. These need emergency care: call 112. A baby or child with RSV needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person.
Can an online doctor treat RSV?
Yes. In most adults RSV behaves like a cold and is managed at home. No medicine kills the virus, so the doctor’s job is to ease your symptoms, spot a chest infection or a flare of asthma, COPD or heart failure early, and treat what RSV has set off. The doctor watches how you breathe and talk by video and asks about your oxygen level if you can measure it. Breathlessness at rest, confusion or blue lips need emergency care instead.
How an online consultation helps with RSV
- Breathing checked properly: The doctor counts your breathing rate, listens to how you speak and watches the effort of each breath, the signs that show whether RSV has reached your chest.
- Asthma, COPD and heart failure reviewed: RSV often sets off flares of long-term lung and heart conditions. The doctor reviews your inhalers and action plan and adjusts treatment if needed.
- Antibiotics only when they help: RSV is a virus, so antibiotics do nothing unless a bacterial chest infection develops. The doctor looks for those signs instead of prescribing just in case.
- Protecting the people around you: You leave knowing how long you are infectious and how to protect babies, older relatives and anyone with a weak immune system at home.
What the doctor checks in an online RSV consultation
The consultation follows a fixed order, and the emergency signs come first. The doctor asks about:
- Breathing: breathlessness at rest or when talking, fast breathing, wheezing, chest pain, and any blue or grey colour to your lips.
- Your risk: your age, long-term lung or heart conditions such as asthma, COPD or heart failure, diabetes, a weakened immune system, and whether you smoke.
- How the illness is moving: when it started, whether the cough is getting worse, and whether a fever settled and then came back.
- Fluids and alertness: whether you are drinking and passing urine normally, and any new confusion, which in older adults can be the first sign of a chest infection.
- Who you live with: babies, especially under 6 months, older relatives, or anyone with a weakened immune system.
Before the call, have your inhalers and other medicines to hand, take your temperature, and measure your oxygen level if you have a pulse oximeter. Sit where the doctor can see your chest and shoulders as you breathe.
RSV symptoms in adults
RSV, short for respiratory syncytial virus, is a common winter virus that infects the nose, throat and lungs, and a common cause of colds and coughs. Almost everyone has caught it by the age of 2, and adults catch it again throughout life, usually as a cold. Symptoms usually start 4 to 7 days after you catch it, and can include:
- a runny or blocked nose and sneezing
- a cough
- a sore throat and a headache
- tiredness
- a high temperature of 38°C or more
When RSV spreads to the lungs, it causes wheezing, faster breathing and breathlessness. In older adults, new confusion or a sudden loss of energy can be the first sign that the infection has reached the chest. RSV can cause pneumonia at any age, and it often triggers a flare of asthma, COPD or heart failure.
Is it RSV, flu or COVID-19?
RSV, flu and COVID-19 all peak in winter and share many symptoms. The pattern below helps, but only a test tells them apart for certain.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Sign | RSV | Flu | COVID-19 |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it starts | Gradually, like a cold | Suddenly, often within hours | Over a day or two, sometimes suddenly |
| Fever | Mild or none in many adults | Common, often high | Common, can be high |
| Runny or blocked nose | Typical | Sometimes | Common |
| Wheezing | Common once the chest is involved | Less common | Less common |
| Aches and exhaustion | Mild to moderate | Common and often severe | Common |
| Antiviral medicine | None | Yes, for people at higher risk | Yes, for people at higher risk |
| How it is confirmed | PCR swab, mostly in hospital | Rapid flu test or PCR | Rapid antigen test or PCR |
Wheezing with a cold-like illness in winter makes RSV more likely, though other viruses can cause it too. For most adults, telling RSV apart from a cold changes little at home. What matters is how your breathing is, and whether you are in a group at higher risk.
How long does RSV last, and how long are you contagious?
Most adults get better on their own within 1 to 2 weeks, sometimes 3. The cough is often the last thing to go and can last several weeks, which on its own does not need antibiotics. Older adults and people with lung or heart disease often take longer to recover.
You are usually infectious for 3 to 8 days, and people with a weakened immune system can spread RSV for longer. It passes on through coughs and sneezes and can survive on hands and surfaces, so wash your hands often and clean shared surfaces. Keep away from babies, especially newborns, while you have symptoms.
The contagious calculator works out your likely contagious period from the day your symptoms started, and the RSV tracker shows how much RSV is going around.
Is RSV serious, and who is at higher risk?
For most adults, RSV is a cold. It can be serious, with a higher chance of pneumonia and hospital care, for:
- adults aged 75 and over, and adults over 65 with a long-term condition
- long-term lung conditions such as COPD, asthma or bronchiectasis
- heart failure or other heart disease
- a weakened immune system, for example from cancer treatment, an organ transplant or immune-suppressing medicines
- diabetes
- living in a care home
RSV is common in later life: the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control estimates that one in 20 older people in Europe catches it every year. Across the European Union, RSV leads to an estimated 158,000 hospital admissions of adults a year, and 92% of them are in people aged 65 and over. If you are in one of these groups, speak to a doctor early, rather than waiting for the infection to settle.
Is there a vaccine for RSV?
Yes. Three RSV vaccines are licensed for older adults, and a single dose protects for at least two years. Vaccination matters most for people aged 75 and over and for adults with a weakened immune system or a long-term lung condition, who are the most likely to become seriously ill. In the UK’s first season of vaccinating older adults, the vaccine was about 75% effective at preventing RSV hospital admissions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist whether it is recommended for you.
In pregnancy, an RSV vaccine given from 28 weeks passes antibodies to the baby and protects it for about the first 6 months of life, when RSV is most dangerous. Babies can also be protected with an antibody injection before or during their first RSV season, which their paediatrician or local doctor arranges.
Is the RSV vaccine safe?
Yes, for most people. Common side effects are pain or swelling where the injection went in, a headache and aching, and they do not last long. Very rarely, the vaccine has been linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome in older adults, a nerve condition that starts with tingling or numbness in the feet and hands, followed by muscle weakness. UK estimates are around 10 to 25 cases per million doses in older people. Get medical advice promptly if you notice these symptoms after vaccination.
Why was the RSV vaccine not offered to people over 80?
When the UK started vaccinating older adults in 2024, the programme covered people aged 75 to 79, because too few people aged 80 and over had taken part in the trials to confirm protection. Since 2026, a catch-up programme also covers people aged 80 and over, and residents of care homes for older adults.
Which RSV treatment might the doctor recommend?
There is no specific treatment for the virus itself, so the plan depends on your breathing, your risk and what RSV has set off. This is the decision framework the doctors use, aligned with WHO and European guidance.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold-like symptoms, breathing normal | Rest, fluids, paracetamol or ibuprofen, saltwater nose spray | Usually yes | If you become breathless, or get worse after the first week |
| Wheezing or a worse cough with known asthma or COPD | Review of your inhalers and action plan; sometimes steroid tablets | Usually yes | If your reliever does not help or you cannot finish sentences |
| A fever that comes back with a worsening cough after you had improved | Assessment for a bacterial chest infection; antibiotics if the signs point to one | Usually yes | If you are breathless or have chest pain |
| Over 75, or heart or lung disease, with breathing getting harder | Assessment for pneumonia or strain on the heart | Partly; an examination may be needed | If you are breathless, confused or your oxygen level is low |
| Weakened immune system with RSV symptoms | Prompt assessment, and contact with your specialist team | For the first assessment | Often; the doctor arranges it if your breathing or oxygen level needs checking |
| Gasping for breath, blue lips, confusion | Emergency care | No | Call 112 now |
Worried that RSV has gone to your chest? A doctor can tell you in one consultation.
See available times →Treatment options for RSV
What you can do yourself
- Rest, and drink plenty of fluids.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for fever, aches and a sore throat, at the dose on the pack. Ibuprofen does not suit everyone, including people with a stomach ulcer, kidney problems or heart failure, or anyone who is pregnant.
- Use saltwater (saline) nose drops or spray for a blocked nose, and try honey in a warm drink for the cough.
- If you have asthma or COPD, follow your action plan and keep your reliever inhaler with you.
- Do not smoke, and stay out of smoky rooms while you recover.
- Wash your hands often, and keep away from babies, older relatives and anyone with a weak immune system while you have symptoms.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. There is no specific antiviral medicine for RSV, so the doctor treats what it sets off. If RSV has triggered a flare of asthma or COPD, the doctor may adjust your inhalers or prescribe a short course of steroid tablets. If the signs point to a bacterial chest infection on top, the doctor may prescribe an antibiotic. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
What does not help
Antibiotics do not work against RSV, which is a virus, and they do not shorten the cough. Cough mixtures have little evidence behind them, and strong cough suppressants such as codeine are not prescribed online.
Special situations
RSV in pregnancy
RSV is usually mild in pregnancy, but the baby is vulnerable in the first months after birth, which is why the vaccine is offered from 28 weeks. If you have symptoms, paracetamol is the usual choice for fever and pain. Tell the doctor how many weeks pregnant you are, and get urgent care for any breathlessness.
Living with a baby
Babies under 6 months, and babies born early, are at the highest risk of severe RSV. If you have a cold-like illness, wash your hands before touching the baby, do not kiss their face, and keep other people with colds away. A baby who is breathing fast, feeding poorly or has fewer wet nappies needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and a baby who struggles to breathe or turns blue needs 112.
Older adults and long-term conditions
RSV can make heart failure, COPD or diabetes harder to control. If you have heart failure, weigh yourself every morning and report a quick gain or swollen ankles; if you have COPD or asthma, follow your action plan; if you have diabetes, check your blood sugar more often. Speak to a doctor early rather than waiting for the infection to settle.
RSV while travelling
RSV circulates across Europe from late autumn to early spring. Saltwater nose sprays, paracetamol and ibuprofen are sold in pharmacies everywhere. If you have a lung or heart condition, pack your inhalers and action plan in your hand luggage.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When RSV is treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: cold-like RSV symptoms in adults, a cough or wheeze that needs a plan, flares of asthma or COPD that can be managed at home, checks for a bacterial chest infection, and advice on protecting babies and vulnerable people at home.
In-person care: breathlessness at rest, a low oxygen level, confusion, suspected pneumonia that needs an examination or X-ray, dehydration, any baby or child with RSV, and treatment with oxygen or fluids in hospital.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- severe difficulty breathing: gasping, choking, or being unable to get words out
- blue, grey or very pale lips, tongue or skin
- confusion, unusual drowsiness or being hard to wake
- chest pain
Get medical advice the same day for:
- breathlessness or wheezing that is getting worse
- cold symptoms if you have a weakened immune system, heart failure or a long-term lung condition
- a fever that comes back after you had started to improve
- being unable to keep fluids down, or passing very little urine
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about your symptoms: describe how your breathing is, and have your inhalers and other medicines to hand.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Not sure it’s RSV? Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? COVID-19 can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about RSV
What is RSV?
RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common virus that infects the nose, throat and lungs. In most adults it causes a cold, but it can cause pneumonia in older adults and bronchiolitis in babies. It spreads in autumn and winter, and almost everyone catches it by the age of 2 and again throughout life.
What are the symptoms of RSV in adults?
In most adults RSV feels like a cold, with a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, a cough, a sore throat, a headache, tiredness and sometimes a fever. When it reaches the lungs it causes wheezing, fast breathing and breathlessness, and in older adults confusion can be the first sign.
What causes RSV, and how do you catch it?
RSV is caused by respiratory syncytial virus, which spreads in droplets from coughs and sneezes and on hands and surfaces, where it survives for hours, so it passes easily around households, nurseries and care homes; almost every child catches it by the age of 2, and adults are reinfected throughout life because immunity fades. It circulates each autumn and winter across Europe, usually peaking in December and January, and symptoms start 2 to 8 days after contact.
How long does RSV last in adults?
Most adults with RSV recover within 1 to 2 weeks, sometimes 3. The cough can last several weeks after the other symptoms have gone. Older adults and people with heart or lung disease often take longer to recover.
Is RSV contagious, and for how long?
Yes. Adults are usually infectious for 3 to 8 days, and people with a weakened immune system can spread RSV for longer. It spreads through coughs, sneezes and contaminated hands and surfaces, so stay away from babies and vulnerable people while you have symptoms.
Is RSV dangerous for adults?
For most adults, RSV is a mild illness. It can be serious for people aged 75 and over and for adults with a weakened immune system or a long-term heart or lung condition, in whom it can cause pneumonia or a flare of asthma, COPD or heart failure.
Is there a treatment for RSV?
There is no specific antiviral medicine for RSV. Rest, fluids, paracetamol or ibuprofen and saltwater nose drops ease the symptoms. A doctor treats what RSV sets off, for example adjusting inhalers in an asthma or COPD flare, or prescribing antibiotics if a bacterial chest infection develops.
What can I do at home for RSV?
Rest, drink plenty of fluids, take paracetamol or ibuprofen for fever and aches, use saline sprays or rinses for a blocked nose, prop yourself up at night to ease the cough, keep the air moist and smoke-free, and use your usual inhalers as prescribed if you have asthma or COPD, stepping up as your plan says. Antibiotics do nothing for RSV. Breathlessness that worsens, a fever returning after improvement, or wheeze not settling with inhalers needs a doctor.
Do antibiotics help RSV?
No. RSV is a virus, and antibiotics only work against bacteria. They do not shorten the illness or the cough. A doctor may prescribe them only if signs of a bacterial chest infection develop on top of RSV.
Who should get the RSV vaccine?
RSV vaccines are licensed for older adults, and vaccination matters most for people aged 75 and over and for adults with a weakened immune system or a long-term lung condition. A vaccine is also offered from 28 weeks of pregnancy to protect the baby for its first 6 months.
How can I avoid catching or spreading RSV?
Wash hands often, especially after contact with children with colds, do not share cups or cutlery, clean surfaces, ventilate rooms, stay home while you have symptoms and keep away from babies and frail older relatives, and cough into a tissue. Older adults and pregnant women are offered the RSV vaccine where national programmes include them, and it is the best protection for those at risk; a single dose protects for more than one winter.
Is the RSV vaccine safe?
Yes, for most people. Common side effects of the RSV vaccine are a sore arm, a headache and aching, which do not last long. Very rarely, the vaccine has been linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome in older adults, estimated in the UK at around 10 to 25 cases per million doses, so tingling or numbness in the feet and hands followed by weakness after vaccination needs prompt medical advice.
Why was the RSV vaccine not offered to people over 80?
When the UK RSV vaccine programme for older adults began in 2024, it covered people aged 75 to 79, because too few people aged 80 and over had taken part in the trials to confirm protection. Since 2026, a catch-up programme also covers people aged 80 and over.
Can I be around a baby if I have RSV?
With RSV, it is best to keep away from babies, especially those under 6 months or born early, while you have symptoms. If you live with a baby, wash your hands before touching them and do not kiss their face. A baby with fast breathing or poor feeding needs a doctor in person.
When is RSV an emergency?
With RSV, call 112 or go to an emergency department if you are gasping for breath or cannot get your words out, your lips, tongue or skin look blue, grey or very pale, or you are confused, unusually drowsy or hard to wake.
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fact sheet, WHO, World Health Organization, 2025.
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), ECDC, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, accessed 15 October 2026.
- Respiratory syncytial virus: the green book, chapter 27a, UK Health Security Agency, updated 3 June 2026.
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 5 July 2024.
- RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), HSE, Health Service Executive (Ireland), reviewed 9 February 2023.
- RSV vaccine, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 1 September 2024.
- Estimation of the number of respiratory syncytial virus-associated hospitalizations in adults in the European Union, Osei-Yeboah R, et al. (RESCEU), Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2023.
- Do I have flu, COVID-19 or a cold? Know the signs and symptoms, UK Health Security Agency blog, 8 October 2025, updated September 2026.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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