Practical research confirms the protective power of the RSV vaccine for seniors

FRIDAY, Oct. 18, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A global real-world study of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine shows that it offers people aged 60 and more than 80% protection against severe disease and/or hospitalizations.

With vaccination rates declining in the US, “I encourage older adults to follow CDC guidelines and get vaccinated against RSV as we enter respiratory disease season this year and every year,” said study co-author Dr . Shaun Grannis.

Grannis is vice president for data and analytics at the Regenstrief Institute and professor of family medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine.

RSV has joined flu and COVID as a triumvirate of dangerous and common respiratory infections that can become serious and even life-threatening. However, there are very effective vaccines against all three viruses.

As noted in a Regenstrief press release, data from the CDC shows that “in the years prior to the availability of an RSV vaccine, an estimated 60,000 to 160,000 RSV-associated hospitalizations and 6,000 to 10,000 RSV-associated deaths occurred annually among U.S. adults of 65 years old. and older.”

The new findings are based on data from some of America’s largest healthcare networks – Permanente Northwest (Oregon and Washington), the University of Colorado (Colorado), Intermountain Healthcare (Utah), the Regenstrief Institute (Indiana), HealthPartners (Minnesota). and Wisconsin) and Kaiser Permanente Northern California (California).

In total, they represent 230 hospitals and 245 emergency departments across the country.

Overall, people over 60 reduced their chances of RSV-related severe illness, hospitalization, ICU admission and death by four-fifths, compared with people of a similar age who were not vaccinated, the researchers said.

The benefit was especially evident among the most vulnerable age group, namely people aged 75 and over.

The new findings were published on October 18 The Lancet.

“We were able to use the power of big data to determine the effectiveness of the RSV vaccine, information needed to inform vaccine policy,” Grannis said.

Of course, “no vaccine is 100 percent effective,” says co-author Brian Dixon.

But “an 80 percent vaccine effectiveness rate is quite impressive and higher than we see with the flu vaccine, for example,” said Dixon, interim director and research scientist at the Clem McDonald Center for Biomedical Informatics in Regenstrief.

Dixon added that vaccination against RSV could not only save lives, but also save money.

“The annual cost of RSV hospitalization for adults in the US is estimated at between $1.2 billion and $5 billion,” he noted. “Preventing up to 80 percent of hospital admissions could lead to major savings for consumers and the healthcare system.”

More information

Learn more about RSV from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCE: Regenstrief Institute, press release, October 17, 2024