From Forgotten Pathogen to Target for New Vaccines: What Clinicians Need to Know about Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Older Adults

Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is increasingly recognized as being implicated in acute illness in older adults, with a significant weight in hospitalizations for respiratory illness and death. By means of a best-evidence review, this paper aims to investigate whether RSV can be considered a forgotten pathogen in older patients, looking at trends in the literature volume and exploring possible epidemiological and clinical features underlying the focus given to it. We then present an assessment of its disease burden and present and future strategies for its reduction, particularly in light of the recent availability of new vaccines.

Impact of Nirsevimab Immunization on Pediatric Hospitalization Rates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2024)

“…While palivizumab is highly effective in avoiding severe respiratory syndromes associated with RSV infections in highly selected patient groups [ 50 , 52 , 55 , 90 ], nirsevimab potentially provides a preventive option to be delivered to the whole of the infant population, with a likely impact on the RSV-associated disease burden [ 57 , 62 , 91 ]. An often-overlocked and even forgotten disease [ 92 , 93 ], particularly among adults and the elderly [ 45 , 46 , 94 ], RSV has recently emerged from the pandemic as a generally acknowledged cause of medical consultations and hospitalization [ 25 , 93 ]. The increasing notoriousness of RSV in the general population likely has several causes.…”