New guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) now recommend Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccination for immunocompromised adults. The guidance advises individualized timing and shared decision-making between patients and clinicians.
Immunocompromised individuals face disproportionately severe outcomes from RSV infections. This new guidance, developed by a multidisciplinary panel, focuses on the benefits, harms, and practical implementation of vaccination across various immunosuppressed subgroups. Evidence from case-control studies indicates RSV vaccination was associated with a 70% reduction in RSV-associated hospitalization.
The panel strongly recommends age-appropriate RSV vaccination for adults and adolescents with compromised immunity. For those under 18, shared decision-making is emphasized due to greater uncertainty.
Timing of vaccination should be tailored to individual patient factors, including treatment cycles and transplant status. Safety data from randomized trials showed comparable serious adverse events between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Coadministration with influenza and COVID-19 vaccines is deemed acceptable.
Future research priorities include defining protection correlates, understanding immunity durability, and clarifying subgroup safety profiles.