The federal agency reported its updated recommendations for the RSV vaccines for the senior population.
Image credit: CDC
Yesterday afternoon, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met to discuss the vaccine schedule for RSV in seniors and recommended that seniors 75 years of age and older receive the RSV vaccine, and that people ages 60–74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV, meaning they have certain chronic medical conditions, such as lung or heart disease, or they live in nursing homes, receive the RSV vaccine.
The federal agency confirmed these recommendations late yesterday.
“The CDC has updated its RSV vaccination recommendation for older adults to prioritize those at highest risk for serious illness from RSV,” said Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH. “People 75 or older, or between 60-74 with certain chronic health conditions or living in a nursing home should get one dose of the RSV vaccine to provide an extra layer of protection.”
It is important to note these recommendations are for adults who did not get an RSV vaccine last year. The RSV vaccine is not currently an annual vaccine. Eligible adults can get an RSV vaccine at any time, but the best time to get vaccinated is in late summer and early fall before RSV usually starts to spread in communities, according to the CDC’s guidance.
They also said the updated recommendation for people 60 and older replaces the recommendation made last year to simplify RSV vaccine decision-making for clinicians and the public.
What You Need to Know
CDC is recommending who is 75 years of age and older get an RSV vaccine.
The best time to get vaccinated is in late summer or early fall, before RSV typically starts spreading.
The updated recommendation aims to simplify the decision-making process regarding RSV vaccination for clinicians and the public.
Immunizations were available last year for the first time to protect people at increased risk for severe RSV, including infants and young children, and people ages 60 and older. This updated recommendation is based on analyses of RSV disease burden among people 60 and older, as well as RSV vaccine effectiveness and cost-effectiveness studies. Those studies included the first real-world data since RSV vaccines were recommended for people 60 and older.
Health care providers should recommend RSV vaccines to their eligible patients, as well as discuss what other vaccines they will need this fall to help prevent respiratory infections.
Learn more: Are Combination Respiratory Virus Vaccines the Way of the Future?
There are now 3 FDA-approved RSV vaccines for seniors. Two RSV vaccines, Pfizer’s Abrysvo, and GSK’s Arexy, last year.
The mostly recently approved vaccine is Moderna’s mRNA 1345 (mRESVIA) vaccine, which was given the federal nod late last month.
