RSV can be deadly—especially for older adults. Why aren’t more of them getting the new vaccine?

As of spring 2024, at which time two RSV vaccines had been FDA-approved, less than 25% of eligible U.S. adults 60 and older had gotten one, according to the CDC. (Credit: Luis Alvarez—Getty Images)

First discovered in chimpanzees in 1956 and in children the following year, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) isn’t new. Neither is it uncommon among the youngest and oldest populations, infecting most babies and toddlers before their second birthday and accounting for the annual hospitalization of up to 160,000 U.S. adults 60 and older.

In recent years, however, COVID-19 has not only stolen the public health spotlight but also eclipsed the development of the first RSV vaccine.