The CDC recommended the first respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for pregnant people to protect their newborn from severe RSV illness. RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization for U.S. infants. This new vaccine, Pfizer’s bivalent RSVpreF vaccine, has been shown to reduce the risk of RSV hospitalization for babies by 57% in the first six months after birth. To maximize protection for babies after birth, CDC recommends seasonal administration of one dose of RSV vaccine for pregnant people during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy.
The vaccine is one of two new tools introduced to protect babies from severe RSV illness. Last month, CDC recommended a new RSV immunization for infants that has been shown to reduce the risk of both RSV-related hospitalizations and healthcare visits in infants by about 80%. Most infants will likely only need protection from either the maternal RSV vaccine or infant immunization, but not both.
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