Treatment: Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus

• Treatment is symptom-based for upper tract disease and mild lower tract disease.
• For severe lower tract disease, intubation and ventilatory assistance should be given as needed.
  • - Aerosolized ribavirin has a demonstrated modest beneficial effect for infants with severe HRSV pneumonia, but its efficacy in older children and adults (including immunocompromised pts) has not been established.
  • - No benefit has been found in any pt population for IV immunoglobulin (IVIg), immunoglobulin with high titers of antibody to HRSV (RSVIg), or a monoclonal IgG antibody to HRSV (palivizumab).