How to protect yourself by having the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine.
What is RSV?
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs. RSV infection often causes symptoms similar
to a cold, including cough, sore throat, sneezing and runny or blocked nose. It can also make you become wheezy or short of breath and lead to pneumonia and other life-threatening conditions.
There is no specific treatment, and most infections will get better by themselves. Every year thousands of older adults need hospital care for RSV, and some of them will die. RSV can be more severe in people with medical conditions such as heart or lung disease or a weakened immune system. RSV infection is common in young children but is most serious for small babies and for older people.
Who should have the RSV vaccination?
- everyone age 75 years and older
- people aged 65 to 74 who have a weakened immune system or have a long term lung condition (not including asthma that is under control)
- people living in care homes for older adults (most residents will be eligible because of their age but adults under 75 are also eligible)
These groups are all at higher risk of serious complications from RSV. A UK study found that people with well-controlled asthma were at much lower risk than people with other lung conditions.
Visit the NHS website to find out more about the RSV vaccine.
