Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can lead to severe illness in older adults, sending them to the hospital and even causing death. But when nursing home residents receive an RSV vaccine, they’re less likely to face hospitalization, RSV-related complications, and death, finds a study published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine.
“These results add to the body of evidence that RSV vaccines provide protection for a vulnerable population of older adults, with the magnitude of protection aligning with other studies of different populations of older adults,” wrote the authors, led by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
66% effective against potentially dangerous blood clots
Health officials recommend that adults older than 60, especially those with chronic diseases, receive one dose of an RSV vaccine to protect them from severe illness and complications. In less-vulnerable populations, the common respiratory virus typically causes intense cold-like symptoms.
Scientists examined the medical claims data of 597,430 people receiving Medicare and living in nursing homes to evaluate the RSV vaccine’s effect on hospitalizations, serious complications, thromboembolic events (potentially dangerous blood clots), and deaths.
These results add to the body of evidence that RSV vaccines provide protection for a vulnerable population of older adults, with the magnitude of protection aligning with other studies of different populations of older adults.
The vaccine was an estimated 73% effective at preventing hospitalizations and 56% effective in protecting against death. It had 59% efficacy against serious RSV outcomes and was 66% effective against thromboembolic events.
“Overall, RSV vaccine effectiveness was robust,” Christopher Radcliffe, MD, of Yale University School of Medicine, and Rupak Datta, MD, PhD, of the Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, wrote in an accompanying commentary.
“This work aligns with emerging clinical effectiveness studies of recombinant RSV vaccines in older adults and demonstrates the preserved benefits of vaccination even among nursing home residents with extensive multimorbidity,” they added.
