Bronchiolitis affects babies in their first year of life, especially babies who are small, premature or under 4 weeks of age. If your baby has bronchiolitis, keep them away from other children to stop the spread of the disease. Bronchiolitis is very contagious for 3-8 days, so it is important to prevent spreading the infection. Encourage everyone in your home to carefully wash and dry their hands to help stop the spread of the infection, especially before and after handling baby. Babies sharing a household with a smoker are more likely to have bronchiolitis and it is more likely to be severe.It is also sensible to keep babies away from people with coughs and colds.
Babies who are breast-fed and those who live in a smoke-free home are less likely to get bronchiolitis.
Having bronchiolitis as a baby does not directly lead onto asthma.
