RSV vaccine reduces hospitalisation rates in the 70+, Scottish study finds

The findings of the Scottish study, ‘Early evidence of population impact of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination on hospitalisations among older adults in Scotland,’ recently published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, indicate that the RSV vaccine is capable of decreasing hospital admissions in older adults aged 75 to 79. The study estimates that in the UK in 2022, RSV resulted in an average annual seasonal rate of 71 respiratory hospitalizations per 100,000 adults aged 65-74 years and 251 hospitalizations per 100,000 adults aged 75 years and older. These results are consistent with the 85.7% vaccine efficacy reported in the first year of the Renoir clinical trial and the 80% efficacy against RSV hospitalizations in the US. Consequently, Scotland initiated its RSV vaccination program for adults aged 75-79 in 2024, achieving a vaccine uptake rate of 68.6% by 27 November 2024. Despite acknowledged limitations about the limited sample size, the outcomes demonstrate substantial protection at the population level. The authors concluded that these results reinforce the importance of seasonal RSV vaccination policies to alleviate both the disease burden and the associated economic strain on the national health system.