What Should You Do if Your Child Gets RSV While You’re Traveling?

In the summer of 2022, Carley Schweet, her husband, their toddler son, and their then nine-month-old daughter flew from Seattle to Lexington, Kentucky, to visit family. After they arrived, their daughter became congested and developed a fever. The couple, newly parents of two, thought the infant just had a bad summer cold. So they decided to stay in Lexington and then travel as planned to Chicago, where their daughter’s fever spiked again. They were only in Chicago for 48 hours, and while they thought about visiting a local urgent care, with guidance from their pediatrician, the couple patched up their daughter the best they could and flew back to Seattle.

Once the family got home, Schweet and her husband noticed their daughter was having trouble breathing. After checking in with their pediatrician, they rushed her to urgent care, where she was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The virus, which infects the nose, throat, and lungs, can cause symptoms like labored breathing and coughing and is the most common cause of infant hospitalization in the US.

The condition is stressful for parents to manage under normal circumstances, but as Schweet’s story illustrates, traveling can make things even more challenging. “I felt like the worst mother in the world that I didn’t think about RSV sooner,” Schweet reflects. “Travel puts new parents into survival mode, so I was just focused on keeping her comfortable and getting home.”

To help those facing a situation like Schweet’s—and parents who want to be prepared just in case—we asked doctors what to do if a little one gets RSV while traveling. Here’s what they had to say.

Keep them comfortable

If you suspect your child may have RSV, getting an official diagnosis is not always helpful or necessary, doctors say. What’s most important is understanding how sick they are and keeping them comfortable, according to Vandana Madhavan, MD, MPH, a pediatrician at Mass General for Children specializing in infectious diseases. Less severe symptoms of RSV include sneezing, runny nose, fever, and coughing. However, for infants, particularly those under six months, changes like irritability, decreased activity, and reduced appetite might be the only signs of infection. Typically, mild symptoms can be managed with remedies such as nasal drops, steam inhalation, or over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol.