Photo Credit: Wildpixel

A recent press release issued by the CDC noted that the agency recommends that patients age 75 and older receive the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine in preparation for the upcoming respiratory virus season.

This summer, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices updated this recommendation as follows: a single dose of any FDA–approved RSV is now recommended for all adults aged 75 years and older and for adults aged 60–74 years who are at increased risk for severe RSV disease (ie, individuals with certain chronic medical conditions, such as respiratory or cardiovascular diseases, or residence in nursing homes). Adults who have previously received RSV vaccine should not receive another dose.

The updated recommendation for individuals 60 years and older replaces the recommendation made in 2023 to simplify RSV vaccine decision-making for clinicians and the public.

“This recommendation is for adults who did not get an RSV vaccine last year,” according to the CDC. “The RSV vaccine is not currently an annual vaccine, meaning people do not need to get a dose every RSV season. 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.”

The CDC added, “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. The 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. Healthcare 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.”

Detailed information regarding these updates can be found in an August 6, 2024 publication of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) entitled, “Use of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines in Adults Aged ≥60 Years: Updated Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2024.”