# Why is RSV such a big deal these days? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [November 14, 2022, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909 "2022-11-14T20:34:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/21 "2023-12-04T16:32:06Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > I hadn’t gotten around to the RSV shot. I believe it’s approved for 60 and older only in Canada and the US. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/22 "2023-12-04T16:47:17Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > I believe it’s approved for 60 and older only in Canada and the US. Well, I’m far from reaching 60, but it still beat the crap out of me! LOL ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/23 "2023-12-04T17:18:19Z")
Damn. I’ve gotten so used to thinking of everybody here as a grayhair that I’d forgotten you’re one of the youthful ones. Sorry!!! 🤦‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/24 "2023-12-04T23:07:29Z")
Good timing - I see the doc in 2 days and have been meaning to ask about whether I need another pneumonia shot (got one 7-8 years back due to being in a high risk group, and had a vague impression that I’d need another one). I’ll hopefully remember to ask about RSV shot at the same time. I’ve never had pneumonia, despite a lifetime of asthma. I recall my daughter being wretchedly sick as an infant with what was most likely RSV. I suspect a case of that would well and truly knock me on my ass. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/25 "2023-12-04T23:32:44Z")
There are two distinct pneumonia shots: Pneumovax & Prevnar. I believe current thinking is to have both, but like a year apart, not together. Mine are now 6 & 7 years old and I recently did my annual checkup where their renewal was not brought up although several other vax renewals were discussed (and done shortly thereafter). IIRC they eventually need renewal, but evidently the interval is more than 7 years. Please share whatever you learn from your visit. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/26 "2023-12-04T23:39:31Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > There are two distinct pneumonia shots: Pneumovax & Prevnar. … > IIRC they eventually need renewal, but evidently the interval is more than 7 years. Please share whatever you learn from your visit. Will do. I have no clue which one I had. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2023, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/27 "2023-12-05T01:26:56Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > I’ve never had pneumonia, despite a lifetime of asthma. I have, the last time it started as viral and progressed to secondary bacterial. I had two courses of antibiotics plus prednisone and my normal symbicort for asthma to get it under control. I had my Prevnar shot last year. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/28 "2024-01-16T17:18:57Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > I have, the last time it started as viral and progressed to secondary bacterial. I had two courses of antibiotics plus prednisone and my normal symbicort for asthma to get it under control. I had my Prevnar shot last year. Sounds like how my “bad colds” progress to a secondary infection, but luckily it’s only ever been bronchitis, not full on pneumonia. Bronchitis is unpleasant enough. I gather pneumonia makes you feel like you’ve been run over by a truck, for weeks. I asked my doc if I was due for a second pneumonia shot (I had my first in my late 50s - earlier than most again due to the wheezing). Apparently not just yet, which is fine. I need to ask about the RSV shot though. I forgot to ask about that last time, but I see the doc again this week. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/29 "2024-01-16T17:51:47Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > I need to ask about the RSV shot though. I forgot to ask about that last time, but I see the doc again this week. Do ask your doc. The guideline for (non-pregnant) adults is for ‘60 years and older, after discussing with their doctor’. I had RSV last winter~wrung out and the cough lingered for weeks. I hope to never repeat that miserable month. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/30 "2024-01-16T17:57:13Z")
I am anxiously waiting the vaccine for people with asthma. I got RSV in 2022 and at one point I almost went to the ER. I just couldn’t breathe. This was before I knew about peak flow monitoring and all that. Actually it was before I was diagnosed with asthma. That was kind of the last straw that sent me running to the doctor. I didn’t know asthma had a cough variant. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/31 "2024-01-16T18:02:22Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I am anxiously waiting the vaccine for people with asthma I’m a little surprised that people with asthma weren’t included in the first group advised to get the vaccine~perhaps it’s a supply issue. Uptake for adults has been slow. My pharmacist said I was the first dose he had given (I was 73 at the time). Medicare paid for it~its high cost might be another factor in the slow uptake. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/32 "2024-01-16T19:36:52Z")
Oh yeah, I was diagnosed in my 20’s and the cough was the thing that had me seeing the doctor. My son was diagnosed very young. I remember him trying to play with his friends and coughing until he would dry heave. That’s when we got a nebulizer and and preventative meds. We spend a lot of time in the ER with him. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/33 "2024-01-16T19:54:13Z")
RSV remains the most common cause of hospitalized infants, I believe. There are antibodies and vaccines, not just for those over sixty but infants and pregnant women at risk, such as with chronic lung disease. 🫁 > **[Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): Canadian Immunization Guide - Canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/canadian-immunization-guide-part-4-active-vaccines/respiratory-syncytial-virus.html)** > > This chapter on respiratory syncytial virus is based on the recommended use of palivizumab to reduce complications of respiratory syncytial virus infection in infants from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). This chapter replaces... ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/34 "2024-01-16T20:10:01Z")
I had never even heard of RSV before, but I never had a kid before. The first time I heard about it was a letter from daycare talking about an RSV outbreak. My kid is crazy resilient to this stuff. Mom, on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/35 "2024-01-16T20:30:59Z")
Worst vaccine I got. I’ve had them all. The injection site hurt for a week. Red and swollen. I don’t know if the nurse accidentally hit a nerve or something. I had achy feeling allover. No upper respiratory stuff tho’. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/36 "2024-01-16T21:00:29Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > but infants and pregnant women at risk, such as with chronic lung disease. To clarify, the vaccine is recommended for all pregnant women “from 32 through 36 weeks gestational age for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) and severe LRTD caused by RSV in infants from birth through 6 months of age” The antibody (Beyfortis) is recommended for the babies, in particular if mom’s did not get the vaccine, with some debate if kids born to moms who were vaccinated should get too. Supply of Beyfortis has been limited. Insurance coverage still being established. I have seen mostly mild RSV in kids this year, but most everyone has it last year so mild this year was expected. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2024, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/37 "2024-01-16T21:15:52Z")
I don’t have kids so I had never heard of RSV either until a year or two ago. I turned 60 a few weeks ago and got the jab a couple days later. I am in the system at CVS so they knew all about me. They wouldn’t let me schedule until after my birthday. It was a pretty rough vaccine as far as they go but certainly better that getting the actual virus. Unlike flu and covid, it’s a one timer so that’s nice. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/38 "2024-01-17T03:13:46Z")
I’m 65. Got the RSV vax back in Sept. Other than the poke of the needle into my arm there were exactly zero consequences, side effects, etc. Might’ve been saline for all I felt later. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/39 "2024-01-17T03:36:48Z")
I also got the RSV vaccine last fall. It’s hard to know whether there were side effects because I had three other shots at the same time. SOMEthing knocked me out for a day or so, might’ve been RSV, who knows. I had RSV itself when I was 28 (I am now 63) and teaching kindergarten. I know this because our newborn son acquired it from me. I had the world’s least debilitating case, barely a headache let alone a cough, joint pain, or much of anything else. In contrast, the little guy stopped breathing, had to be rushed to the NICU or the moral equivalent, and was housed in an incubator for about 5 days. He was just three weeks old. It was probably the scariest time of my life, and I would strongly urge anyone on the fence about whether to get the vaccine to consider this story. My son recovered just fine and is now a happy healthy 35-year-old, but wow, this disease can be REALLY HORRIBLE for infants. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2024, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909/40 "2024-01-17T03:41:00Z")
With almost anything in medicine, more detail is available. I certainly wouldn’t second guess a pediatrician here. The website linked, a few posts above, eventually gets around to saying^: ### What - Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is a major cause of lower respiratory illness, particularly among infants, young children and older adults. - In Canada, RSV causes yearly outbreaks of respiratory tract disease, usually starting in late fall and running through to early spring. - Reinfections with RSV are common but illness is usually milder with subsequent infections. - At present there is no vaccine available in Canada to prevent RSV. The only means of prevention is temporary passive protection with the monoclonal antibody preparation palivizumab (PVZ). PVZ contains antibody only against RSV. ### Who - PVZ should be offered to: - PVZ may also be considered for: - PVZ has not been evaluated in children 2 years of age and older. ### How - The first dose of PVZ should be given at the onset of the local RSV season. - A second dose of PVZ should follow at 21 to 28 days and the interval between subsequent doses is 28 to 35 days. - The usual maximum number of doses is four. - An additional dose should be given after cardiac bypass or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. - An additional dose may be considered in remote northern areas where RSV outbreaks may continue longer than is usual elsewhere. - PVZ may be co-administered with any other live or inactivated vaccines. ### Why - RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among infants and young children. - PVZ is approximately 40 to 80% effective in preventing hospitalization, depending on age and underlying health condition. ^_Canadian protocols don’t tend to differ much from the US, but national variations are possible, including drug names._ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-rsv-such-a-big-deal-these-days/974909.md?page=3)