To Your Health: RSV Vaccine

PRINCE GEORGE — At the beginning of August, Health Canada announced that they had approved the first vaccine for RSV. We learn more about the new development in this week’s to your health.

Health Canada has approved the first vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for adults age 60 and over, but it may only be available in limited quantities for this fall’s respiratory virus season. RSV is a common but highly contagious virus that appears like a common cold for most people. In more vulnerable populations, RSV can cause bronchiolitis, the inflammation of the small airways in the lung or pneumonia, say experts.

The vaccine is known as Arexvy and is produced by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and they say that the approval of Arexvy builds on GSK’s extensive portfolio of vaccines available to help protect people of all ages from a variety of infectious diseases and is the first RSV vaccine for older adults to be approved in Canada. GSK said a randomized clinical trial showed the vaccine has an 82 per cent efficacy in preventing lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV, compared to seniors who got a placebo.Health Canada said the vaccine is a single dose injection, but it’s unclear whether people will need to get the vaccine every year or a booster.