Addressing the Significant Impact of RSV Infections among Older Canadians. It’s Time for Action.

December 17, 2024
By: Arushan Arulnamby, Samir K. Sinha

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The NIA’s report Addressing the Significant Impact of RSV Infections among Older Canadians. It’s Time for Action., provides information on the burden of RSV infections, the recent development of new highly effective RSV vaccines, and the ongoing challenges and opportunities surrounding vaccination among older Canadians.

Even though most children will experience their first respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection by the age of two, adults 65 years and older experience significantly more complications, with this age group having the highest mortality rate attributable to RSV infections. Three highly effective RSV vaccines for adults 60 years and older have been approved in Canada, however, a lot more work needs to be done as vaccination rates in this age group are underwhelmingly low.