title: Respiratory syncytial virus infections on an adult medical ward.
abstract: Eleven cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection occurred in acutely ill hospitalized adults over a 7-week period. Nosocomial illness was suspected in two patients. Because RSV can cause serious infections in immunocompromised adults with the potential for nosocomial spread, the following recommendations are indicated: (1) during the winter months, early recognition and diagnosis of RSV infections both in hospital staff and in patients should be encouraged; (2) infected hospital personnel should avoid patient contact when possible; (3) during outbreaks, careful attention must be paid to hand washing and gloving; and (4) a high level of vigilance for RSV infection should be maintained on units with immunocompromised patients. Increased awareness of the potential risks of RSV infection is needed on adult medical units.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Takimoto
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Cram
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Root
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012136:Respiratory Syncytial Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010253:Respirovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012495:San Francisco / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors