RSV Activity Higher Than Usual This Spring In Chicago, Authorities Say

CHICAGO — Winter may have officially ended last week, but one cold-weather virus appears to be sticking around this spring in Chicago, where RSV rates remain higher than is typical for March, according to authorities.

“RSV activity has decreased from High to Moderate but remains higher at this time of the year compared to prior seasons,” the Chicago Department of Public Health said in a weekly surveillance summary updated Friday.

Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for the illness remain elevated, especially among children ages 4 and under, according to the city health department, which noted two RSV-associated pediatric deaths have been reported in Chicago so far this season.

RSV — short for respiratory syncytial virus — is typically mild, with symptoms mirroring the common cold, for most adults and older children, but it can cause severe infection for babies and some adults who are older or have certain conditions, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The Chicago health department is advising health care providers to continue giving RSV immunization products to infants under eight months old and some older high-risk infants through the end of April.

“It certainly has not slowed down,” Dr. Colleen Nash, an associate professor of pediatrics at Rush University, told The Chicago Tribune. “There are still quite a few young infants coming to the general (hospital) floor and also requiring ICU level care as well.”

Emergency department visits for young children for RSV the week ending March 7 in Chicago were over three times higher than the same week in 2025, the Tribune reported, noting the percentage of positive RSV tests that same week of March 7 in 2026 was more than twice the percentage for that week in each of the past six years.