Help Your Aging Parents Stay Healthy

RSV is a virus that affects the lungs and spreads through droplets from coughs or sneezes, much like the common cold. It poses a serious risk for older adults and people with compromised immune systems.

Healthy adults may have a runny nose, cough, sneezing, fever, wheezing, and loss of appetite. Severe cases can lead to pneumonia and bronchiolitis, which is when the small airways that lead to your lungs get inflamed.

Older adults, young children, people with certain illnesses, and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for severe RSV complications.

Three vaccines are currently approved for older adults: Abrysvo, Arexvy, and mResvia. The CDC recommends a single dose of any of these vaccines for everyone 75 and older and for people ages 60-74 who are at increased risk of severe RSV.

People ages 60 to 74 may be considered at risk for severe RSV if they have one of 11 risk factors, including heart disease, severe obesity, or chronic lung or respiratory disease. You don't have to prove you have a risk factor to get the vaccine.

The vaccine prevents severe illness in high-risk groups and reduces the likelihood of RSV-related lower respiratory tract disease by 65%-94%.

Possible side effects include fatigue, fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea, and diarrhea. There is also a small risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Your health care provider can help you understand the best timing for vaccination, possible side effects, and if it can be taken alongside other vaccines. Medicare covers the vaccine for older adults, so there should be no out-of-pocket cost.