CDC Recommends Maternal RSV Vaccine to Protect Newborns

Key Takeaways

The vaccine, called Abrysvo, is given to pregnant mothers so that the antibodies can transfer to their newborns and protect them against RSV.

How to Prevent RSV in Adults and Children

Most Children Only Need One RSV Vaccination

Most infants will not need both Abrysvo and Beyfortus.

Abrysvo is recommended for people who are between 32 and 36 weeks pregnant in the fall and winter, when RSV cases peak.

It likely takes at least 14 days after vaccination for the mother to produce the antibodies and transfer them to the fetus. If an infant is born within two weeks of vaccination, they should get Beyfortus, the CDC said.

Protection from maternal vaccination may start to wane after three or more months. The CDC decided to recommend administration only during the fall and winter, rather than year-round, because babies born outside of the RSV season would likely need Beyfortus to boost their protection.

In rare cases, including when a mother has an inadequate immune response to the vaccine or the infant loses maternal antibodies after heart surgery, infants that were born to vaccinated mothers may still need to take the monoclonal antibody.

There is a slight potential risk of preterm birth in vaccinated mothers, but the majority of the working group said the undesirable effects are small.

Here’s Where RSV Is Starting to Rise in the U.S., According to the CDC

A New Tool to Prevent a “Tripledemic”

Two-thirds of infants are infected with RSV in the first year of life and each year there are about 80,000 RSV-related hospitalizations in kids younger than five years.Nearly 80% of kids younger than two years who are hospitalized with the disease have no underlying medical conditions.

This is the first year when vaccines are available for all three major respiratory viruses—COVID-19, RSV, and flu. Vaccinating vulnerable groups against all three could prevent a repeat of the “tripledemic” U.S. hospitals faced last year.

The CDC said that the RSV vaccine can be administered at the same time as other vaccinations that a woman is due for. Pregnant people may be eligible to get the RSV, Tdap, COVID-19, and influenza vaccines in the same visit.

There are alsotwo RSV vaccinesavailable to adults older than 60 years old, a group that is also vulnerable to severe illness and death due to RSV.

Half of Americans Who Need an RSV Vaccine Have Never Heard of It, Survey Finds

What This Means For YouAbrysvo is already available in some parts of the U.S. and the CDC said it expects the availability to increase in the coming weeks. Flu vaccines and the updated COVID-19 vaccines are now available to everyone six months and older.

What This Means For You

Abrysvo is already available in some parts of the U.S. and the CDC said it expects the availability to increase in the coming weeks. Flu vaccines and the updated COVID-19 vaccines are now available to everyone six months and older.

2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.McLaughlin JM, Khan F, Schmitt HJ, et al.Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Associated Hospitalization Rates among US Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.J Infect Dis. 2022;225(6):1100-1111. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiaa752Hall CB, Weinberg GA, Blumkin AK, et al.Respiratory Syncytial Virus–Associated Hospitalizations Among Children Less Than 24 Months of Age.Pediatrics.2013;132(2):e341–e348. doi: 10.1542/peds.2013-0303

2 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.McLaughlin JM, Khan F, Schmitt HJ, et al.Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Associated Hospitalization Rates among US Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.J Infect Dis. 2022;225(6):1100-1111. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiaa752Hall CB, Weinberg GA, Blumkin AK, et al.Respiratory Syncytial Virus–Associated Hospitalizations Among Children Less Than 24 Months of Age.Pediatrics.2013;132(2):e341–e348. doi: 10.1542/peds.2013-0303

McLaughlin JM, Khan F, Schmitt HJ, et al.Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Associated Hospitalization Rates among US Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.J Infect Dis. 2022;225(6):1100-1111. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiaa752Hall CB, Weinberg GA, Blumkin AK, et al.Respiratory Syncytial Virus–Associated Hospitalizations Among Children Less Than 24 Months of Age.Pediatrics.2013;132(2):e341–e348. doi: 10.1542/peds.2013-0303

Hall CB, Weinberg GA, Blumkin AK, et al.Respiratory Syncytial Virus–Associated Hospitalizations Among Children Less Than 24 Months of Age.Pediatrics.2013;132(2):e341–e348. doi: 10.1542/peds.2013-0303

Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

What is your feedback?

Key Takeaways#

Most Children Only Need One RSV Vaccination#

A New Tool to Prevent a “Tripledemic”#

What This Means For You#

Key Takeaways

Most Children Only Need One RSV Vaccination

A New Tool to Prevent a “Tripledemic”

What This Means For You