An RSV vaccination program lower hospital admissions for a respiratory syncytial virus amongst seniors in Scotland by practically two-thirds.
Three Key Takeaways
- RSV Vaccination Success – A research from the College of Strathclyde and Public Well being Scotland (PHS) discovered a 62% discount in RSV-related hospitalizations amongst vaccinated older adults after this system launched in August 2024.
- Robust Vaccine Uptake – By November 2024, 68% of adults aged 75-79 had obtained the free RSV vaccine, demonstrating widespread participation and public belief in this system.
- Multi-Yr Safety & Significance of Vaccination – The RSV vaccine provides long-term safety, benefiting older adults and newborns. Well being officers encourage continued excessive uptake to stop critical respiratory diseases.
A research by the College of Strathclyde and Public Well being Scotland (PHS) exhibits a 62% discount in hospitalizations associated to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among the many eligible age group following introduction of this system in August 2024.
Native well being boards invited adults aged 75-79, together with these turning 75 earlier than July 2025, to come back ahead for his or her free RSV vaccine forward of the winter.
By the top of November 2024, uptake of the vaccine on this group had reached 68%.
RSV is a typical and extremely infectious respiratory virus that impacts the respiration system and might be very critical for many who are on the highest danger of sickness from the an infection, together with older adults.
The brand new research, revealed in The Lancet Infectious Ailments, is the primary to provide proof of the influence of the RSV vaccination program and underlines the significance of older adults coming ahead for his or her vaccine. One dose of the RSV vaccine provides multi-year safety and the outcomes of this research present that, within the first 12 months alone, this system has lowered critical sickness amongst older adults.
“Our information exhibits that this system has had fast success, not solely within the discount in hospital admissions linked to RSV within the age teams vaccinated but additionally within the extent of the vaccine uptake,” professor Chris Robertson, of Strathclyde’s Division of Arithmetic and Statistics and PHS, stated in a press launch. “Folks receiving the receiving the vaccination are defending themselves and will probably be vital to take care of the uptake at excessive ranges.”
Dr Sam Ghebrehewet, Head of Immunization and Vaccination at PHS, stated: “This research exhibits how efficient the brand new RSV vaccine program has been in lowering hospitalizations amongst those that are extra susceptible to critical issues of an RSV inflection.
“Public Well being Scotland continues to work intently with native well being boards to make sure as many individuals as potential obtain their vaccine. In addition to being supplied to older adults, the RSV vaccine can also be supplied throughout being pregnant. Getting vaccinated is the perfect and easiest factor you are able to do to guard your self, or your new child child, towards critical sickness attributable to RSV.”
Neil Grey, Cupboard Secretary for Well being and Social Care stated: “RSV might be very critical for older adults, newborns and infants – probably inflicting lung illness akin to pneumonia.
“I’d urge all these eligible to come back ahead for his or her vaccine when referred to as. It’s extremely vital for older adults and pregnant girls to guard their new child infants from RSV.”
Supply: College of Strathclyde
Picture: Credit score: NIAID. RSV. Inventive structure that includes 3D renderings of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a typical contagious virus that infects the human respiratory tract.
