There are now two RSV vaccines approved by the FDA to protect people 60 and older from serious cases of the illness.
Doctor Vaness Ogundipe of MercyOne in Sioux City says RSV is an upper respiratory virus. “For most people it’s very benign, causes mild symptoms such as coughing sneezing and a kind of runny nose. But in infants and older adults and patients who are have lots of chronic medical conditions it can cause severe illness,” she says.
Ogundipe says the two vaccines will soon be available. “But the first one that was approved was GSK’s Arexvy, and it’s been approved for adults six years and older. So it works by preventing severe RSV or prevents severe lower respiratory tract infection in that age group,” Ogundipe says. “And then there’s a second vaccine Pfizer’s Abrysvo, that’s also approved for adults 60 years and older.”
She says Arexvy is a little different than Abrysvo. “It boosts the body’s immune response. When you take it you’ll get more of an immune response which should help you protect yourself better,” she says. “And then the Pfizer RSV vaccine Abryso protects against both RSV A and B.” The vaccines are just need the DDC’s approval before they are distributed nationwide. She says there is also an RSV vaccine in the works for pregnant women that is hoped to be able to prevent the disease in their newborns.
(By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City)