Since its introduction last year, researchers have been monitoring the real-world impact of a new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine. Angela Blanchet, MD, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), detailed what she learned from the first season of vaccines in a recent commentary in The Lancet.
The evidence is clear. If you have a condition that puts you at risk for serious disease, you should get vaccinated. For older adults and people with chronic illnesses, RSV is considered as serious as influenza and should be vaccinated. ”
Angela Branch, MD, infectious disease researcher, University of Rochester Medical Center
Respiratory syncytial virus is an important cause of severe respiratory illness in older adults, especially those with underlying medical conditions. RSV causes millions of infections, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and tens of thousands of deaths in adults over 60 years of age worldwide each year. In the United States, adults age 65 and older experience higher rates of RSV-related hospital visits, intensive care unit admissions, and deaths. Elderly people infected with RSV are at higher risk of developing severe illness than those infected with influenza or the new coronavirus.
Vaccines prevent severe symptoms and keep people out of the hospital
In 2023, the FDA approved three RSV vaccines for older adults. Studies have shown these vaccines to be effective, with the Pfizer, GSK and Moderna vaccines preventing respiratory syncytial virus pneumonia and bronchitis in more than 80% of participants.
A recent study published in The Lancet used data from a large electronic health records network involving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and multiple U.S. health systems to assess the effectiveness of the RSV vaccine. I did. The study found that the RSV vaccine was 80% effective in preventing hospitalization, ICU admission, and death in adults 60 and older. Vaccine efficacy was consistent across age groups, including those over 75 and immunocompromised people. The study found no evidence that the vaccine’s protection diminishes over the course of the season.
However, RSV vaccine uptake during the 2023-2024 winter season was low. An estimated 24% of U.S. adults over age 60 have been vaccinated, while influenza vaccination rates for the same group approach 50% each year. “In the first season, health care workers were not sure how to apply shared clinical decision-making recommendations. There is still a general lack of knowledge within the medical community and the general public about what needs to be done.” Blanche said.
Improving vaccination rates and better vaccines
Based on these findings, the American Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a group of medical and public health experts that advises the CDC, updated its guidelines in June 2024 to ensure that all people age 75 and older recommended RSV vaccination for adults aged 60 years and older. People in long-term care facilities or with chronic, high-risk health conditions.
“This new data will allow ACIP to make more definitive recommendations, which will increase public confidence in the effectiveness of these vaccines and make implementation much easier for health care providers and pharmacies.” said Blanchet.
New research shows that vaccines that target multiple strains of the RSV virus, called bivalent vaccines, may provide longer-term protection. URMC infectious disease experts Edward Walsh, MD, and Ann Falsey, MD, helped lead an international study of the bivalent RSV vaccine developed by Pfizer, the results of which were recently detailed in the New England Journal of Medicine. Published in The vaccine effectively prevented severe RSV-associated lower respiratory tract disease over two RSV seasons, with an overall efficacy of more than 80%. The experimental vaccine was particularly effective in individuals between the ages of 60 and 79.
sauce:
University of Rochester Medical Center
Reference magazines:
Blanche, AR (2024). Real-world efficacy studies on the benefits of RSV vaccines. Lancet. doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(24)02150-0.
