CDC: RSV vaccine recommended during pregnancy
- The vaccine is now the second option for concerned parents
- Most infants will likely only need one form of protection
- There currently is not a RSV vaccine for children
FILE – This 1981 photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows an electron micrograph of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, also known as RSV. (CDC via AP, File)
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(NewsNation) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday recommended RSV vaccinations for expecting mothers to protect newborns from serious lung infections.
The recommended vaccine marks the second option for concerned parents, the first being lab-made antibodies given to babies younger than 8 months before their first RSV season.
Most infants will likely only need protection from one — either the mom’s vaccine or the antibodies — but not both, according to CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen.
There is no head-to-head study that answers which is more effective, and no published research on how safe it is to give both. They are both expensive but that depends on the recipients’ health insurance status.
RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of cold-like symptoms. A surge last year filled hospitals with wheezing children, but far more U.S. seniors are hospitalized and die from the virus.
Two new vaccines were recently approved for Americans age 60 and older. There isn’t a vaccine for children.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.