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Anyone with a child in day care is familiar with the seemingly endless cycle of infectious bugs like RSV but grandparents are also at serious risk.
Ita Buttrose is heading up a national campaign to raise awareness among older Australians, as the number of cases of the respiratory illness matches the flu.
Lisa Loader's grandson Reggie is her pride and joy but sometimes babysitting brings workplace hazards.
READ MORE: Man, toddler dead after pram rolls onto tracks at Sydney train station
In 2022 she caught RSV from the toddler and said it was the sickest she'd ever been.
"It was a cough that was just relentless and it took your breath away and almost made me pass out," she said.
It exacerbated her asthma and developed into pneumonia.
"I had no voice for nine weeks and it took me 14 weeks to get over it," Loader said.
While the respiratory illness is more common in toddlers, older Australians are also at risk.
The symptoms are similar to flu.
Buttrose – a high profile advocate – wants others in her generation to pay attention.
"If you really feel unwell, you should consult your GP," she said.
"You're not a burden, you're just someone trying to try and get better again."
There have been 124,000 RSV cases so far in 2024, 1.5 times higher than the same period last year.
More than half were children aged under four.
In over-70s it's now so prevalent the number of RSV cases is on par with influenza.
If you have other chronic issues it can be really serious.
"People who die from RSV are almost always older people," Sydney University Professor Robert Booy said.
The TGA approved an RSV vaccine for over-60s in January but it's not part of the national immunisation program, which means you need to pay and it costs more than $300.
Only 17,000 over-70s are vaccinated compared to the millions protected from influenza and COVID-19.
"It is expensive, so people have to choose," Booy said.
"Hopefully it will become a routine vaccination as is flu and COVID for older people."
