RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) Vaccine: What You Need to Know [2025]

Details

• Alternative Title:
  RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) Vaccine: What You Need to Know [2025] [English] ; Vaccine Information Statement: RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) Vaccine: What You Need to Know [2025]
• Corporate Authors:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
• Description:
  A VIS or Vaccine Information Statement is a document, produced by CDC, that informs vaccine recipients – or their parents or legal representatives – about the benefits and risks of a vaccine they are receiving. All vaccine providers, public or private, are required by the National Vaccine Childhood Injury Act (NCVIA – 42 U.S.C. § 300aa-26) to give the appropriate VIS to the patient (or parent or legal representative) prior to every dose of specific vaccines. The appropriate VIS must be given prior to the vaccination, and must be given prior to each dose of a multi-dose series. It must be given regardless of the age of the recipient: from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/about-vis/index.html.
  
  VISs have been translated into about 40 languages. These can be found on the website of CDC's partner, https://www.immunize.org/vis/. Not every VIS has been translated into every language.
  
  Why get vaccinated? RSV vaccine can prevent lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. RSV can cause illness in people of all ages but may be especially serious for infants and older adults. RSV is the most common cause of hospitalization in U.S. infants. Infants up to 12 months of age (especially those 6 months and younger) and children who were born prematurely, or who have chronic lung or heart disease, or a weakened immune system, are at increased risk of severe RSV disease. RSV infections can be dangerous for certain adults. Adults at highest risk for severe RSV disease include older adults, especially those with chronic heart or lung disease, a weakened immune system, certain other chronic medical conditions, or who live in nursing homes. RSV spreads through direct contact with the virus, such as when droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze contact your eyes, nose, or mouth. It can also be spread by someone touching a surface, such as a doorknob, that has the virus on it and then touching your face. Symptoms of RSV infection may include runny nose, decreased appetite, coughing, sneezing, fever, or wheezing. In very young infants, symptoms of RSV may also include irritability (fussiness), decreased activity, or apnea (pauses in breathing for more than 10 seconds). Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be more serious, resulting in shortness of breath and low oxygen levels. RSV can cause bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lungs) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs). RSV can also lead to worsening of other medical conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (a chronic disease of the lungs that makes it hard to breathe), or heart failure (when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen throughout the body). Infants and older adults who get very sick from RSV may need to be hospitalized. Some may even die.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Respiratory Syncytial Viruses Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Prevention & Control Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines / Adverse Effects Respiratory Tract Infections Vaccines
• Series:
  Vaccine Information Statement
• Subseries:
  RSV Vaccine
• Publisher:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (U.S.)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Fact Sheet ; Patient Education Handout
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Rights:
  Public Domain
• Topic:
  Diseases & Conditions
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  2 pdf pages
• Collection(s):
  Infectious Diseases
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8ebf39bb823149a71fbe6d6db0253a7fa1567a1d63696da2c20a28e3ed2dac196370bc04f9c75731925bf2e43c077eac7ce0cc22f3cf199daf9306730bbe6331
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/253010/cdc_253010_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 230.01 KB ]