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Preventing Bronchiolitis

Bronchiolitis can spread easily from one person to another. Children should be kept home until they are well to prevent giving the infection to others. There is no vaccine to prevent bronchiolitis. There are medications that may lessen the risk of infection by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV is a virus which causes more than half of all cases of bronchiolitis. This medication is usually given to high-risk babies.

Proper handwashinghabits can help to prevent the spread of illness. Make sure to wash your hands before touching a baby or after being in contact with an infected one.

RESOURCES:

American Academy of Family Physicians
http://www.familydoctor.org/

National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

BC Children’s Hospital
http://www.bcchildrens.ca/

The Canadian Lung Association
http://www.lung.ca/

The Canadian Paediatric Society
http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/

References:

Beers MH, Fletcher AJ, Jones TV, et al, eds. The Merck Manual of Medical Information . 2nd ed. Whitehouse Station, NJ: Merck Research Laboratories; 2003.

Bronchiolitis. Medline Plus website. Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000975.htm . Accessed August 4, 2005.

Bronchiolitis and your child. American Academy of Family Physicians website. Available at: http://www.familydoctor.org . Accessed August 4, 2005.

Gadomski AM, Bhasale aL: Bronchodilators for bronchiolitis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2006 :CD001266.

Smyth RL, Openshaw PJ. Bronchiolitis. Lancet. 2006;368:312-322.

Steiner RWP. Treating acute bronchiolitis associated with RSV. Am Fam Physician. 2004;69:325-330.

*¹8/10/2007 according to the following study, as cited by DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance : Corneli HM, Zorc JJ, Majahan P, et al. A multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of dexamethasone for bronchiolitis. N Engl J Med. 2007;357:331-339.

*²2/5/2009 DynaMed's Systematic Literature Surveillance http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed/what.php : Panickar J, Lakhanpaul M, Lambert PC, et al. Oral prednisolone for preschool children with acute virus-induced wheezing. N Engl J Med. 2009;360:329-338.

Last reviewed January 2009 by Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Talk about it in the:
Bronchiolitis Support Group

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