As the United States heads into the colder weather months, cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have been ticking up across the country.
For the week ending Nov. 25, there were 8,863 positive RSV tests recorded, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is typical for this time of year.
This is slightly down from the previous week, when 9,914 tests were recorded and compared to last year when 16,067 positive tests were recorded during the same period.
Although most cases of RSV result in mild illness, the virus can be dangerous among infants and young children as well as senior citizens. “RSV is a very common infection,” Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor, said. “Of course, we want to avoid illness, but, for the vast majority of people, they will recover. These are things to take seriously and to try to protect yourself, but there’s also no reason for panic.”