RSV
RSV vaccine guide for adults and infants via maternal vaccination
Learn how RSV vaccination helps protect high-risk people, including adults 50 years of age and older, and infants via maternal immunization.

Dr. David Weber · August 13, 2025
7 min read
On this page
- What is RSV?
- RSV transmission
- RSV vs. common cold
- RSV vaccination and other preventive tools
- Who should get RSV vaccines?
- How RSV vaccines work
- RSV vaccine safety profile
- High‑risk groups for RSV
- Additional information on RSV protection for infants
- RSV seasonality and year-round protection
- Help reduce your RSV risk
- Frequently asked questions
Key takeaways
- RSV is a highly contagious virus, easily transmitted between people, that poses serious risks to at-risk adults and infants.
- RSV spreads easily through airborne droplets and contaminated surfaces.
- Vaccines train and strengthen the immune system to help protect against severe RSV, especially in adults 50 years of age and older who are at high risk.
- Common side effects of RSV vaccine are pain at the injection site, headache, fatigue, and muscle pain.
- RSV vaccine is widely available.
What is RSV?
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a highly contagious virus that most commonly affects adults over 50 and infants.
Each year in the United States RSV can lead to as many as 180,000 hospitalizations and 8,300 deaths among adults 50 years of age and older, and it remains the leading cause of infant hospital admission in the U.S.
The good news?
After decades of research, RSV vaccines are available—and they’re helping to protect against a potentially serious disease.
RSV is a virus that targets cells in the nose, throat, and lower airways. It replicates quickly in humans and can shed billions of particles with every cough or sneeze.
Most RSV infections start like an ordinary cold—runny nose, congestion, mild fever—but can worsen quickly, catching people off guard. The virus can potentially lead to inflammation, excess mucus, and dangerous complications such as bronchiolitis (swelling in the small airways of the lungs) or pneumonia.
There are no prescription treatments for adults with RSV, so the best protection for adults is to get an RSV vaccine.
RSV transmission
RSV is highly contagious and is mainly transmitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes, which releases virus-containing droplets, or tiny bits of liquid, into the air. These droplets can land in the eyes, nose, or mouth of anyone nearby.
Once a droplet leaves the body, RSV can last many hours on hard surfaces—like doorknobs and countertops—and for a shorter time on fabrics. Touching these contaminated surfaces and then touching your nose or mouth is a major route of infection.
RSV vs. common cold
RSV is often mistaken for the common cold because symptoms can appear similar at first — sore throat, cough, mild fever. But the rhinoviruses that cause common colds rarely reach small airways in the lungs, where RSV causes the most trouble.
If you notice any of the following RSV signs, get immediate medical attention for yourself or your loved one:
- Difficulty breathing
- Trouble eating or drinking
- Chest pain or pressure
- Sudden dizziness or confusion
- Worsening of symptoms
- Confusion or decreased responsiveness
Why do you need the RSV vaccine?
To help prevent severe illness and reduce hospitalizations from RSV
Correct
To help prevent severe illness and reduce hospitalizations from RSV
Not quite
Correct answer: To help prevent severe illness and reduce hospitalizations from RSV
RSV vaccination and other preventive tools
Thanks to the last two decades of research, we now have ways to help strengthen and train the immune system against RSV. Vaccines stimulate your own immune cells to build a defense, helping to decrease the risk of severe lung infections, especially for the most vulnerable.
In addition to getting vaccinated, you can help reduce your RSV risk by following a few basic prevention tips:
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use an alcohol-based waterless product
- Keep your hands away from your eyes and mouth
- Avoid places with actively sick people
Who should get RSV vaccines?
- Adults 75 and older: One dose of RSV vaccine
- Adults 50-74 who are at high risk: One dose of RSV vaccine
- Pregnant women: One dose of RSV vaccine if 32–36 weeks gestation falls between September and January (in most of the US depending on RSV seasonality), to help protect newborns for the first six months
- Infants < 8 months: One dose of monoclonal antibodies if born during or entering their first RSV season, unless maternal vaccination was given (see below for more info)
- Children 8–19 months at increased risk for severe RSV: One dose of monoclonal antibodies for a second season
*Always confirm timing and eligibility with a healthcare professional. To check your eligibility, and find and schedule respiratory vaccinations, visit VaxAssist.com.
RSV may start like a cold. But for older adults and infants, it can be a severe threat.
How RSV vaccines work
RSV shots contain stabilized pieces of the virus that RSV uses like a key to enter human airway cells.
By exposing the immune system to this key in advance, vaccination may help protect against RSV.
RSV vaccine safety profile
The most commonly reported reactions were pain at the injection site, headache, fatigue, and muscle pain.
In pregnant women, the most commonly reported reactions were pain at the injection site, headache, muscle pain, and nausea.
Anyone with a history of severe allergy to any vaccine ingredient should discuss alternatives with their healthcare provider.
Check applicable RSV vaccine FDA product label for additional information on safety.
Ready to get your RSV vaccine? Check your eligibility, find and schedule an appointment, or book at VaxAssist.com.
High‑risk groups for RSV
RSV severity rises sharply in several groups:
Adults 50 years of age and older
Adults 50 years of age and older with the following conditions are at a higher risk of RSV-associated hospitalizations:
- Chronic heart disease (e.g., heart failure, coronary artery disease)
- Chronic lung or respiratory disease (e.g., asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD)
- End-stage renal disease
- Diabetes (when complicated by organ damage or when taking insulin/ sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor)
- Brain, nerve, or muscle disorders that make it hard to clear the lungs or breathe properly (e.g., poststroke dysphagia, muscular dystrophy)
- Chronic liver disease (e.g., cirrhosis)
- Chronic blood conditions (e.g., sickle cell disease)
- Severe obesity
- Weakened immune system
- Living in a nursing home
Because of this increased risk, vaccine eligibility for adults between the age of 50 and 74 with underlying medical conditions is recommended.
Adults 75 and older
Adults with reduced immune system function whose bodies have a harder time fighting off germs can struggle to clear the virus and are at increased risk of RSV-associated hospitalization.
Infants
Narrow airways and immature immunity leave the youngest babies more susceptible. Roughly 1 in 50 U.S. infants in this age group is hospitalized for RSV each season.
177K
hospitalizations/year
Additional information on RSV protection for infants
For infants whose mothers did not receive RSV maternal vaccination, parents should discuss monoclonal antibodies with their healthcare provider.
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system's ability to fight off viruses, helping to provide passive immunity that offers protection.
When a pregnant woman receives RSV vaccine, Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies are transferred to the infant through the placenta, offering short-term protection after birth. Maternal immunization can help protect infants during their early months when they are most vulnerable to severe RSV.
Cost considerations may influence the choice between RSV vaccination and monoclonal antibody administration to help protect infants.
In rare circumstances, monoclonal antibodies may be recommended for infants even if the mother was vaccinated. These include:
- Infants born to mothers with immunocompromising conditions who may not mount an adequate immune response to RSV vaccination.
- Infants born to mothers with medical conditions that reduce antibody transfer through the placenta, such as HIV infection.
- Infants who have undergone cardiopulmonary bypass or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which can lead to a loss of maternal antibodies.
- If the infant is born within 14 days of maternal vaccination.
Infants at substantial increased risk for severe RSV disease may benefit from additional protective measures.
RSV seasonality and year-round protection
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), RSV activity in the United States usually builds in early September, peaks between December and February, and fades by late spring. Areas closer to the equator can have a steadier flow of RSV cases throughout the year.
Since regional peaks can arrive earlier or later, local public‑health updates are worth monitoring.
For adults, RSV vaccines can be given at any time of the year. Optimal timing is late summer and early fall just before the RSV season starts.
For pregnant women, RSV vaccines are recommended from September through January (in most of the continental US depending on RSV seasonality), except for certain exceptions.
You can check your eligibility and find and schedule respiratory vaccinations including RSV through VaxAssist.com.
Help reduce your RSV risk
The Respiratory Syncytial Virus isn't a severe threat to everyone. But to susceptible groups (including certain adults ages 50+ and infants), RSV can catch you off guard, morph from minor cold symptoms to requiring intensive hospital care in a short amount of time.
Vaccines can help reduce the risk of severe RSV so talk with your healthcare provider about timing, insurance coverage, and which option may be right for you.
Are you or someone you care for at risk for severe RSV? Check your eligibility, and find and schedule respiratory vaccinations through VaxAssist.com today.
Frequently asked questions
References
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RSV in infants and young children. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Published September 21, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/infants-young-children/index.html
World Health Organization. Respiratory syncytial virus. WHO. Accessed July 8, 2025. https://www.who.int/health-topics/respiratory-syncytial-virus
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What causes RSV? U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Published August 30, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/causes/index.html
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RSV in infants and young children. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Published August 30, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/infants-young-children/index.html
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