New US study

RSV vaccination prevents hospital admissions by 75%

There is no approved RSV vaccine for children, but monoclonal antibodies are available for passive prophylaxis.(Bild: APA/dpa/Marijan Murat)

For babies and older people, an infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can even be life-threatening. A vaccination has recently become available. An initial US study on the effectiveness in senior citizens shows that immunization prevents 75 percent of the hospital stays otherwise necessitated by RSV infections.

"Clinical trials prior to licensure (of the vaccines; note) were not large enough to assess efficacy against RSV-related hospitalizations. They excluded patients with weakened immune systems and other groups of people at increased risk of severe RSV disease, for example people over the age of 75," the scientists stated in a new study with "real life" data*.

In the USA, vaccination against RSV is recommended for all adults over the age of 75 and all 60 to 74-year-olds with an increased risk of severe disease progression. In Austria, it is approved for adults over the age of 60 (two vaccines) and recommended for this age group. There is no approved RSV vaccine for children, but monoclonal antibodies are available for passive prophylaxis. Pregnant women, on the other hand, can be actively vaccinated between the 24th and 36th week of pregnancy.

"The effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing RSV-related hospital admissions was 75 percent (...)", the scientists found. The protection rate was equally high in the 60-74 age group and in the over-75 age group.

*The experts compared the data of 2978 patients over the age of 60 (mean age 72) with information from 2611 control subjects. The study involved 24 hospitals in 19 US states. This was "real life" data from daily routine and without special selection of a subject group, as is the case in clinical studies.