2023-08-01 14:12:29
RSV vaccination: who should be vaccinated?
The STIKO currently recommends vaccination against the RS virus for premature babies and children up to two years of age with certain previous illnesses. A recommendation as to whether and when pregnant women and older adults should be vaccinated against the RS virus is still pending.
RSV vaccination for premature babies and babies
Premature babies and babies up to six months as well as small children with previous illnesses are particularly at risk of becoming seriously ill with RSV. Doctors therefore recommend passive RS virus vaccination for the following risk groups:
Children born before or at 35 weeks gestation who are less than six months old at the start of the RSV season. Children under two years of age with congenital heart defects Children under two years of age who have been treated for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in the past few months.
The vaccine is injected into a muscle – usually the thigh – once a month during the RSV season (from October/November). A total of five vaccine doses are planned. The protective effect begins as soon as the first dose is administered.
RSV vaccination for older adults
The European Commission approved active RSV vaccination for adults in June 2023. It is intended to protect people over the age of 60 from diseases of the lower respiratory tract caused by the RS virus.
The results of the pivotal study with 25,000 adults show that the RS vaccination protects about 83 percent against RSV disease for six months. According to the current state of knowledge, it is therefore sufficient if those affected are vaccinated once a year before the start of the RSV season.
Despite its approval, the vaccine for adults is not yet on the market. It should be available in German pharmacies from autumn – at the start of the RSV season. It is still unclear whether the vaccination recommendation applies to everyone over the age of 60 or only to certain risk groups. An official vaccination recommendation from the STIKO is still pending.
RSV vaccination during pregnancy
RSV vaccination during pregnancy is intended to protect the newborn from an RS-related respiratory disease after birth. A large-scale vaccination study showed that 81 percent of all children whose mothers were vaccinated against the RS virus during pregnancy were protected from a serious course of the disease in the first six months of life.
After the active vaccination, the expectant mother forms antibodies (antibodies), which she passes on to the unborn child via the placenta. This gives the child immune protection that lasts during the first months of life – the unborn child is therefore passively immunized before birth.
The approval of the vaccine for pregnant women was recently applied for at the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
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