AS well as being the peak season for coughs and colds, this time of year is when babies and young children often succumb to the common, but potentially serious, lung infection bronchiolitis. During their first year of life, around a third of children in the UK will develop bronchiolitis - in which a virus that causes inflammation of the small airways in the lungs (bronchioles). And with initial symptoms like a blocked or runny nose, cough and slightly high temperature, the illness is often mistaken for a cold. But it is ‘more than a cold’ - also the name of a bronchiolitis information campaign - and although the illness is mild in most cases, it can sometimes cause life-threatening lung infections in young children.

Here's what every parent of young children should know about bronchiolitis:

1. Initial symptoms of bronchiolitis are a runny nose and a cough, and further symptoms which usually develop over the next few days include a slightly high temperature, dry and persistent cough, rapid or noisy breathing (wheezing), brief pauses in breathing, difficulty feeding, fewer wet nappies, vomiting after feeding and being irritable or floppy.

2.The main cause of bronchiolitis is the very contagious respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

3. In some cases, bronchiolitis can become severe and cause children to struggle to breathe – their breathing rate can increase to 50-60 breaths a minute or they may develop a temperature of 38°C (100.4F) or higher. If these symptoms occur, medical attention should be sought

4. Bronchiolitis most commonly affects babies between three and six months of age

5. The illness is most widespread during the winter

6. It’s possible for a child to get bronchiolitis more than once during the same season

7. Babies are at greater risk of developing severe bronchiolitis if they were born prematurely (at less than 37 weeks), are under 12 weeks old or were born with a heart or lung condition

8. The NHS advises parents to call a doctor or dial 111 if they’re worried about their child, if he/she has taken less than half their usual amount during the last two or three feeds, if they’ve had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more, if they have a persistent high temperature of 38C or above, or if they seem very tired or irritable

9. Dial 999 if your baby is having difficulty breathing, his/her tongue or lips are blue, or there are long pauses in your baby’s breathing

10. The infection usually clears within two weeks without treatment, and most children can be cared for at home in the same way that you’d treat a cold - by drinking plenty of fluids, and taking children’s paracetamol or ibuprofen

11. To prevent the spread of RSV, parents and carers need to adhere to basic hygiene rules and should wash their hands regularly with soap and water. Everyone, including older children, should cover their nose and mouth when they cough or sneeze near the baby and babies should be kept away from other people who show signs of a cough or cold, while toys should be washed or wiped regularly to prevent the spread of germs