5 Things to Know About the RSV Vaccine

By Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf and Emma Every

Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, can be a scary thing to learn about for new parents. Fortunately, a vaccine was recently approved for use in pregnancy that offers protection for newborns.

  1. RSV can be dangerous for newborns and children. Every year in the United States, an estimated 58,000-80,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalized for RSV infection. Though the symptoms are often mild and like a cold in healthy adults, RSV infection can cause more serious lung disease in kids.
  2. RSV can also be dangerous in pregnancy. Though pregnant people are likely to have mild symptoms from RSV, early studies show that they are also at an increased risk of more severe pulmonary symptoms as well as preterm delivery if they contract RSV in pregnancy.
  3. Maternal RSV vaccination in pregnancy protects the newborn after birth as well. The RSV vaccine, when given in pregnancy, has been shown to create antibodies, or germ fighting cells, in mom that are then shared with baby through the placenta. When people are vaccinated in pregnancy, their babies are significantly less likely to become infected with RSV. This vaccine works similarly to the Tdap vaccine, which is also given in pregnancy, and protects the newborn from whooping cough after birth.
  4. The RSV vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization in newborns. Not only were fewer babies infected with RSV when their mothers were vaccinated in pregnancy, but they also had less severe infections. RSV vaccination in pregnancy was shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization due to RSV in the first 6 months of life for newborns by 57%.
  5. The RSV vaccine does not cause stillbirth or miscarriage. The RSV vaccine has been studied in people who are pregnant and has been found to be safe for both baby and mom.

For more details, please visit our FAQ at https://www.onevaxtwolives.com/rsv.

Kristina Adams Waldorf, MD

Founder

Kristina Adams Waldorf, MD is a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Adjunct Professor of Global Health at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She is an internationally recognized expert in how infections impact pregnancy and how vaccines and therapeutics protect the mother and fetus. She is Chair of the National Institutes of Health Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Biology Study Section. She is a member of the Center for Reproductive Sciences and the Center for Innate Immunity and Immune Diseases. Her grant support has come from the National Institutes of Health, the March of Dimes, Burroughs-Wellcome Fund, the Canadian Institute for Health Research and the Australian National Medical Research Council.

Emma Every, BA

Research Team - 4th Year Medical Student

Emma Every graduated from Rice University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and minors in Biochemistry & Cell Biology and Medical Humanities. She is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She is involved in research on cerclages in high-risk pregnancies and volunteering with free clinics in her community. Prior to medical school, she worked as a community health worker, and is most proud of leading mass vaccination events in rural Alabama. She is ultimately interested providing full spectrum OB-GYN care in underserved areas.