Yes - RSV spreads between people of all ages, and adults are very much part of the chain: grandparents pick it up from toddlers and back again.
Healthy adults usually get an ordinary cold; the danger concentrates in adults over 60 to 75, those with chronic heart or lung disease, and the immunocompromised, for whom RSV can mean pneumonia. It circulates in fall and winter, usually peaking in December and January per the CDC.
What to do
Common questions
Is RSV contagious to adults?
Yes - RSV spreads readily between people of all ages, through coughs, sneezes, and surfaces, circulating in fall and winter alongside flu and COVID and usually peaking in December and January per the CDC. In healthy adults it typically presents as an ordinary cold and passes in a week or two, but adults are very much part of the transmission chain - grandparents pick it up from toddlers and vice versa. The adult question that matters is which adult: the CDC warns RSV can be dangerous for infants and older adults, with risk concentrated in people over about 60 to 75, those with chronic heart or lung disease, and the immunocompromised - for them RSV can mean pneumonia and hospitalization, and vaccines now exist for older adults and for pregnant people to protect newborns. So the etiquette: a healthy adult with RSV owes the vulnerable a few days of distance, masks for close contact, and the usual handwashing. Fever, wheezing, or breathing trouble in an older adult after a "cold" deserves medical attention. Pymander, a free AI doctor available 24/7 by text, can help you gauge an exposure.