Flu season is in full swing, and that also means an elevated risk of RSV, especially for older adults.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) only recently entered the public consciousness in a big way, but it’s been a major concern for doctors and researchers around the world for decades. Children and healthy adults who contract the RSV virus will usually experience mild cold-like symptoms. But infants, adults with weakened immune systems, and older adults are at risk of developing life-threatening illness, similar to a severe flu. RSV hospitalizes 159,000 adults over 65 in the U.S. each year, and between 10,000 to 13,000 die from RSV infection.
What should older adults know about RSV and the vaccines that are now recommended to prevent RSV infection and severe illness?
RSV Risk and Symptoms
RSV is a common virus that affects the nose, throat, and lungs. It causes upper and, in severe cases, lower respiratory infections.
According to the CDC, adults with the highest risk for contracting severe RSV include:
Adults ages 75 and older
Adults with chronic heart or lung disease
Adults with weakened immune systems
Adults with certain other underlying medical conditions
Adults living in nursing homes
In mild cases, people will notice cold symptoms like a runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, and a low-grade fever. In severe cases, RSV spreads the lower respiratory tract and causes symptoms including:
- Fever
- Severe cough
- Wheezing — a high-pitched noise that's usually heard on breathing out (exhaling)
- Rapid breathing or difficulty breathing — the person may prefer to sit up rather than lie down
- Bluish color of the skin due to lack of oxygen (cyanosis)
Unfortunately, RSV is just as easy to catch as a common cold. It passes from person to person through the air or direct contact, and can also survive for hours on hard surfaces. It enters the body through the nose, eyes, or mouth. Best practice for preventing RSV infection is the same as the common cold or flu: wash your hands often, avoid sharing drink or food with others, and keep surfaces clean. And, just recently, there’s also an effective vaccine available for RSV.
A New Vaccine Option
The RSV vaccine is quite new: two RSV vaccines were approved by the FDA for the first time in 2023. In clinical trials, the vaccine had a 94% effectiveness rate in preventing severe disease in older adults. In the trial, severe disease was defined as needing a ventilator or supplemental oxygen to breathe.
The 2023 approvals were at least 60 years in the making. “RSV has been one that’s taken us a while to be able to unlock its mysteries and secrets,” said Dr. Steven Varga, a researcher and dean at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital whose career has been devoted to the search for an RSV vaccine. “It’s a really exciting time,” he told CNN. “It’s been a long time coming.”
The CDC recommends that everyone over 75 get an RSV vaccine, and that adults over 50 talk with their healthcare provider about their risk factors and consider getting the shot. The three vaccines available are Abrysvo, Arexvy, and mResvia. The CDC does not recommend one over the others.
Unlike the flu and COVID shots, the RSV vaccine is currently a one-time shot. So, if you already got it in the last two years, there’s no need to get another one. With more research, this recommendation may change in the future, when CDC determines how long effective protection from the vaccines lasts.
Side effects from the vaccine are similar to those associated with other vaccines: most commonly, mild redness, pain or swelling at the injection site, and fever, headache, and nausea may also occur.
The best time to get an RSV vaccine, if you’ve never had one, is in the late summer or early fall. But the incidence of severe disease peaks in December and January, so there’s still time to talk with your healthcare provider about getting shot before the holidays.
If you do catch RSV during the holidays, and symptoms are mild, at-home remedies for the common cold will likely help: drink plenty of water, use throat lozenges, and get as much rest as you can.
Additional Sources:
