Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

Who needs to be protected?

The best way to help prevent RSV is to get vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following protection against RSV for the following groups:

• Infants and young children
  • CDC recommends either maternal RSV vaccination or infant immunization to help prevent severe illness from RSV in infants and young children
    • CDC recommends that pregnant people receive an RSV vaccine between 32–36 weeks of pregnancy during RSV season (typically September through January*) to protect their infants at birth.
    • If a child’s mother does not receive an RSV vaccine during pregnancy, CDC recommends giving a preventive antibody to the newborn after birth.
• Older adults
  • CDC recommends a single dose of RSV vaccines for:
    • All adults age 75 and older
    • Adults ages 60-74 who are at increased risk of severe illness from RSV (such as those with chronic heart or lung illness or those who are residents of long-term care facilities)

*RSV season can vary around the country. If you live in Alaska, Florida, or outside the continental U.S., talk to a
healthcare provider about when RSV season is expected where you live.

What vaccine options are available?

For older adults:

• Three RSV vaccines are available to help prevent RSV.

For infants:

• One maternal RSV vaccine is available to help prevent RSV in infants through vaccination during pregnancy.
• A preventive antibody, nirsevimab, is available for:
  • Infants under 8 months born during or entering their first RSV season, if the mother has no or unknown RSV vaccine history, or the RSV vaccine was received less than 14 days prior to birth.

Young children 8–19 months who are at increased risk for severe illness from RSV and entering their second RSV
season.