Which statement correctly describes how RSV is transmitted?

Which statement correctly describes how RSV is transmitted?

• A. RSV is spread through direct contact with respiratory secretions.
• B. RSV is spread through food and water.
• C. RSV is airborne and can stay suspended for hours.
• D. RSV is not contagious.

Answer: (A)

RSV spreads mainly through close person-to-person contact and exposure to respiratory secretions. The virus is shed in nasal and throat secretions, so touching those secretions—such as through kissing or hand-to-face contact after touching an infected person or contaminated surfaces—can transfer the virus to your own mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth). This makes direct contact with respiratory secretions the most reliable description of its transmission. The other ideas don’t fit as well. RSV isn’t transmitted through food or water. It isn’t typically spread by long-range airborne travel or remaining suspended in air for hours; transmission is more about close contact and contaminated surfaces rather than the virus floating freely in the air. And RSV is contagious, so the statement that it isn’t contagious is incorrect.

RSV spreads mainly through close person-to-person contact and exposure to respiratory secretions. The virus is shed in nasal and throat secretions, so touching those secretions—such as through kissing or hand-to-face contact after touching an infected person or contaminated surfaces—can transfer the virus to your own mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth). This makes direct contact with respiratory secretions the most reliable description of its transmission.

The other ideas don’t fit as well. RSV isn’t transmitted through food or water. It isn’t typically spread by long-range airborne travel or remaining suspended in air for hours; transmission is more about close contact and contaminated surfaces rather than the virus floating freely in the air. And RSV is contagious, so the statement that it isn’t contagious is incorrect.