Bronchiolitis
Information about bronchiolitis, a common chest infection in young children, caused by a viral infection of the lungs.
- Bronchiolitis is a common chest infection in babies up to 12 months old. It can be caused by a range of viruses.
- Babies with bronchiolitis may have trouble breathing and feeding.
- There is no medicine to make bronchiolitis better. In most cases, babies will get better on their own with rest and more frequent feeds.
- Occasionally, babies with bronchiolitis need help with breathing or feeding in hospital. This is more common in younger babies and those with underlying lung or heart problems.
- Babies are usually sick for seven to 10 days.
- It is important not to smoke or vape around your baby as this can make bronchiolitis worse.
- RSV immunisation for babies and pregnant mothers helps protect young babies from bronchiolitis.
- Organisation:
- Topic:
- Target audience:
- Parents or carers
- Service area:
- VIC
- Published:
- January 2018
- Last reviewed:
- August 2026
Multilingual resources
Arabic - Bronchiolitis
Assyrian - Bronchiolitis
Burmese - Bronchiolitis
Chinese (Simplified) - Bronchiolitis
Chinese (Traditional) - Bronchiolitis
Farsi (Persian) - Bronchiolitis
Karen - Bronchiolitis
Somali - Bronchiolitis
Turkish - Bronchiolitis
Vietnamese - Bronchiolitis