CDC updates RSV vaccination recommendation for adults

On Wednesday, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) updated its recommendation for the use of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccines in people ages 60 and older. For the upcoming respiratory virus season, the CDC recommends everyone age 75 and older receive the RSV vaccine. The RSV vaccine is not currently an annual vaccine.

For this upcoming respiratory virus season, CDC recommends:

• Everyone ages 75 and older receive the RSV vaccine.
• 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.

This recommendation is for adults who did not get an RSV vaccine last year.

“The CDC has updated its RSV vaccination recommendation for older adults to prioritize those at highest risk for serious illness from RSV,” Mandy Cohen, M.D., M.P.H. said in a release. “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.”

Health officials remind the public that the RSV vaccine is not currently an annual vaccine. They say eligible adults can get an RSV vaccine at any time, but the best time is in late summer and early fall.

This announcement by the CDC replaces the recommendation made last year. Today’s 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, according to the CDC. 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.