Introduction
RSV infection is recognised as a serious paediatric infection and a leading cause of hospitalisation in infants.[1] RSV can also cause lower respiratory tract infection in adults over 65 leading to pneumonia and exacerbating underlying conditions.[2,3]
Data suggests that RSV infection is responsible for 214,000 hospitalisations in industrialized countries (while data for developing countries is missing), and it is estimated that there are over 14,000 in-hospital deaths in older adults worldwide every year.[3] However, because RSV causes mild signs and symptoms in most adults,[4] this virus may not be viewed as a high priority by practicing clinicians and its burden is probably underestimated.[5]
Presently, there is no effective treatment for RSV, and therefore prevention is key. The first RSV vaccines have recently been approved in multiple countries,[6,7,8] and implementation is in its early stages. It is important to raise awareness of the disease burden in older adults and immunocompromisedadult patients, so that practicing clinicians have sufficient information and evidence to recommend vaccination in these populations once it is made available by healthcare providers in their region.
