{"id":76816,"date":"2024-07-10T08:51:27","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T14:51:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=76816"},"modified":"2025-01-06T16:18:05","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T23:18:05","slug":"federal-health-experts-adopt-new-guidelines-for-adult-rsv-vaccines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/federal-health-experts-adopt-new-guidelines-for-adult-rsv-vaccines\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal health experts adopt new guidelines for adult RSV vaccines. Who should get them?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Adults ages 75 and older should get a single dose of an adult RSV vaccine. People ages 60 to 74 who have health complications should also get vaccinated. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Federal health experts have issued new guidelines for adult RSV vaccines, and some people may be confused since this year\u2019s advice is a little different than last year\u2019s.<\/p>\n

So, who should get an RSV vaccine? How are the newest guidelines different from last year\u2019s RSV vaccine recommendations, and how often do older adults need to get an RSV vaccine?<\/p>\n

To better understand RSV vaccines for adults, we consulted with Dr. Michelle Barron, UCHealth\u2019s\u00a0senior medical director of infection prevention and control<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Barron said it\u2019s excellent that there are now RSV vaccines for at-risk older adults. The vaccines were first approved in 2023, and if you\u2019ve already gotten a single dose of an RSV vaccine, you don\u2019t need to worry about getting another dose now.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should be good. At this point in time, a single shot is considered a lifetime dose, so you should not get another one,\u201d Barron said. \u201cThe new guidelines only apply to people who didn\u2019t get an RSV vaccine last year and are wondering if they would benefit from getting one this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Health experts are encouraging people who could get sickest from RSV to get the new vaccines. People ages 75 and older and those ages 60 and older who have serious health conditions are most at risk if they get RSV and should consider getting the vaccine, Barron said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s wonderful anytime we can prevent a disease from becoming severe, and preventing hospitalizations is definitely worthwhile, said Barron, who is also\u00a0a professor<\/a>\u00a0at the\u00a0University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a>\u00a0on the\u00a0Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For both medical providers and patients, the fine print about RSV vaccines can be confusing. So we went over the most frequently asked questions with Barron.<\/p>\n

First, what is RSV?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

RSV stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Parents of young children may think of RSV by its more common name: croup. Along with older adults, RSV or croup can be very dangerous for newborns and young children. And parents who\u2019ve nursed sick children through a case of croup can attest to the alarming barking seal sound that children make when they\u2019re coughing or gasping for air.<\/p>\n

Does RSV cause serious illness for everyone?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

No. RSV can be very dangerous<\/a> for babies, young children and some older adults. But many other people likely have had RSV and didn\u2019t realize it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because RSV in older children and healthy adults can manifest with basic cold symptoms or those of bronchitis.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor most people, this is not a big deal,\u201d Barron said. \u201cBut in patients who are immunosuppressed because they\u2019ve had a transplant or are undergoing chemotherapy or have really bad underlying lung disease, RSV can get them into a trouble and put them in the hospital. So it\u2019s something we have to pay attention to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is there an RSV vaccine for babies and children?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

No. There is not an RSV vaccine for infants and children. Especially vulnerable newborns \u2014 like those born prematurely \u2014 can receive a new injected medication called nirsevimab. It\u2019s a type of monoclonal antibody that babies can receive if they\u2019re born during RSV season. Learn more about monoclonal antibodies for RSV<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What about those who are pregnant? Should they get an RSV vaccine?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Yes. For pregnant women who are due to deliver babies during the winter months \u2014 when RSV most commonly peaks \u2014 medical experts recommend one dose of an RSV vaccine at 32 to 36 weeks of pregnancy.<\/p>\n

So what are the new guidelines for adult RSV vaccines?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Medical advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who are part of the CDC\u2019s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices<\/a> voted on June 26 to revise guidance related to adult RSV vaccines. Leaders at the CDC then adopted these new guidelines.<\/p>\n

Here are the newest recommendations for RSV vaccines for adults:<\/p>\n