The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s panel of outside experts has recommended the use of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines in younger adults who are at increased risk of severe illness from the virus. The 14-to-0 vote recommends that at-risk adults aged 50 to 59 receive a single dose of RSV vaccine, expanding eligibility for the vaccine to about 30% of US adults in this age group.
The recommendation is based on the fact that lung transplant patients and other individuals in this age group are at increased risk of severe illness from RSV. The vaccine is also approved to prevent RSV-associated lower respiratory tract disease in adults aged 50-59 and 18-59, respectively, who are at an increased risk from the disease.
The CDC currently recommends the vaccine for adults aged 75 and older and at-risk adults ages 60 to 74. However, the panel’s recommendation is likely to be adopted by the CDC director, who will sign off on the panel’s recommendations before they are implemented.
This decision comes after a review of the available data, which showed that RSV causes cold-like symptoms but also leads to pneumonia in toddlers and older adults. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved three vaccines for RSV, including two new vaccines that are already approved to prevent RSV-associated lower respiratory tract disease in adults at increased risk.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-cdc-advisers-weigh-lower-age-recommendation-rsv-vaccines-2025-04-16