What is RSV?

• Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is respiratory infection that is very common around late Fall/Winter.
• Mainly infecting the respiratory tract — lungs, nose and throat — symptoms are often similar to the common cold or other respiratory diseases such flu or COVID-19.

Who’s at risk for severe illness from RSV?

Older adults face a heightened risk of developing severe RSV infections. Each year the virus hospitalizes 100,000–160,000 Americans age 60 and older!

Healthy adults between 18-74 years old typically experience mild symptoms. People who are at higher risk of severe illness from RSV include:

• All adults over 75
• Adults 60+ with certain conditions, such as:
  • Chronic heart or lung disease
  • Weakened immune system
  • other underlying medical conditions, including diabetes or obesity
  • living in a nursing home

In the cases when RSV makes its way down into the lungs, causing lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD), it can cause higher-risk individuals to experience life-threatening complications such as pneumonia. LRTD can also worsen some existing conditions such as asthma, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), worse. Each year, this leads to 6,000-10,000 deaths.

All infants are at risk of developing a severe RSV infection.

• Every year between 58,000–80,000 children under 5 years old are hospitalized from RSV.
• RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization of babies in the US.
  • Severe disease most commonly occurs in very young infants, including otherwise healthy babies.
• Children with any of the following underlying conditions face an additional risk of severe RSV disease:
  • Premature infants
  • Children with suppressed or weakened immune systems
  • Children who have neuromuscular disorders or a congenital anomaly, including those who have difficulty swallowing or clearing mucus secretions
  • Children with severe cystic fibrosis 

Prevention of RSV

Because treatment options for RSV are limited, prevention is the best medicine.

Below are the current preventive medication options for adults and babies:

CDC recommends RSV vaccination for all adults ages 75 and older and for adults ages 60-74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV disease (including cardiovascular disease, lung disease, neurological disease and other comorbidities. Three respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines are approved for adults ages 60 years and older:

• GSK’s AREXVY (protein subunit RSV vaccine, adjuvanted)
• Pfizer’s ABRYSVO (protein subunit RSV vaccine)
• Moderna’s mRESVIA (mRNA RSV vaccine)

All three vaccines are currently approved as a single dose and were shown in clinical trials to protect against symptomatic lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in adults ages 60 and older. Based on clinical trial data, one dose of RSV vaccine can provide protection for at least 2 years.

For pregnant women, CDC recommends a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine protect their babies from severe RSV disease. They should get a single dose of Pfizer’s bivalent RSVpreF vaccine (during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy during September through January).