The United States sees tens of thousands of hospitalizations each year due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). However, a new tool has emerged to combat it: the first-ever RSV vaccine. RSV is a respiratory virus that can cause cold-like symptoms for many people, but can also lead to serious illness, hospitalization, and even death for infants and older individuals. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 60,000 to 160,000 older adults are hospitalized each year in the United States due to lung infections caused by RSV, with 6,000 to 10,000 of them dying from RSV infections annually. Those with chronic heart or lung disease, as well as those with weakened immune systems, are particularly vulnerable.
The newly approved vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of developing lung infections by 82.6 percent compared to a placebo. In a trial of approximately 25,000 people aged 60 and over, only seven people who received the vaccine developed RSV lung infections, compared to 40 people who received a placebo. The vaccine’s efficacy against severe lung infection was even better at 94.1 percent, with only one person in the vaccine group and 17 in the placebo group developing that complication.
The FDA is expected to approve an RSV vaccine for older individuals made by Pfizer later in May. Additionally, on May 18, the agency will discuss Pfizer’s RSV vaccine for pregnant women to protect newborns.
2023-05-03 14:56:03
Source from www.sciencenews.org