Guidance

RSV vaccination of pregnant women for infant protection: information for healthcare practitioners

Published 12 July 2024

This information for healthcare practitioner guidance is about the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme for pregnant women to protect infants. There is separate guidance about the RSV vaccination of older adults programme. Ensure the correct guidance for the programme you are delivering is used.

Background

Since 2023, the JCVI has been actively reviewing the latest evidence on immunisation products which can protect both infants and older adults against RSV infection and disease.

The JCVI considered a range of issues including disease epidemiology, vaccine efficacy, vaccine safety and the cost effectiveness of introducing a routine RSV vaccination programme in the UK. They subsequently recommended that a programme that is cost effective should be developed to protect both infants and older adults.

From 1 September 2024, the RSV vaccine should be offered to:

• all pregnant women from 28 weeks’ gestation
• adults turning 75 years old
• adults aged 75 years up until their 80th birthday

The RSV vaccine should be offered throughout the year as this is a year-round programme.

See the RSV vaccination of older adults information for healthcare practitioners for guidance and information on that programme.

About respiratory syncytial virus

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of acute respiratory tract infections which are usually mild and self-limiting. Symptoms usually include runny nose, cough and fever. For infants and older adults however, the virus can lead to more severe illness and hospitalisation. In infants, RSV can cause bronchiolitis (inflammation and narrowing of the small airways in the lungs), which can lead to significant breathing difficulties and difficulties feeding. RSV is highly infectious and is transmitted via respiratory droplets (coughing, sneezing), through close contact with an infected person or contact with contaminated surfaces.

There is a significant burden of RSV illness in the UK population, which has a considerable impact on NHS services during the winter months. A typical RSV season in the UK starts in October, peaks in December and declines by March.

RSV accounts for approximately 33,500 hospitalisations annually in children aged under 5 years old. It is a leading cause of infant mortality across the world and results in 20 to 30 deaths per year in the UK. RSV infects up to 90% of children within the first 2 years of life and frequently re-infects older children and adults.

The Green book: RSV, chapter 27a

The Green Book Respiratory syncytial virus Chapter 27a includes detailed information about RSV and the RSV vaccination programme.

Healthcare practitioners should familiarise themselves with the information in the Green Book chapter before offering RSV vaccination.

Aim of the vaccination programme

The aim of the RSV vaccination of pregnant women programme is to reduce the incidence and severity of RSV disease in infants. While RSV can occur at any age, babies under one year of age are at the greatest risk of hospitalisation with more severe RSV.

Although most women will have been exposed to RSV in child and adulthood, the antibody levels acquired from natural infection do not provide sufficient protection to their infant. Giving women the RSV vaccine from week 28 of every pregnancy will temporarily boost their antibody levels. This will enable them to transfer a high level of RSV antibodies across the placenta to their unborn child to passively protect their infant against RSV in their first months of life. Ideally the vaccine should be given in week 28 or soon after that, so there is sufficient time for the mother to make high levels of antibodies and for these to transfer across the placenta, including if the baby is born prematurely.

In clinical vaccine trials, maternal RSV vaccination has been shown to be 70% effective at preventing severe RSV infection in infants born to vaccinated mothers for 6 months, with some data suggesting longer protection. The antibodies acquired from their mother should protect infants at an age when they are most at risk of developing severe RSV disease.

A targeted UK RSV monoclonal antibody immunisation programme is available for high-risk infants and this will continue in addition to maternal vaccination. RSV monoclonal antibody immunisation for high-risk infants is being delivered in secondary care by paediatric services. More information is available in the Green Book Respiratory syncytial virus Chapter 27a.

Eligibility

From 1 September 2024, the RSV vaccine should be offered to every pregnant woman from week 28 of their pregnancy. All women who are already at least 28 weeks pregnant on 1 September 2024 should be vaccinated as soon as possible.

This is a year-round programme and should routinely be offered as a woman reaches week 28 of pregnancy or soon afterwards.

Women remain eligible up until delivery, see Timing of vaccine administration for more detail.

An RSV vaccine should be reoffered in each pregnancy.

Timing of vaccine administration

Week 28

Ideally, the RSV vaccine should be given in week 28 of pregnancy or soon after so that there is sufficient time for the mother to make high levels of antibodies and for these to transfer across the placenta to provide passive immunity to the unborn child to give them the best protection during early infancy. Giving the vaccine around week 28 also increases the potential for babies who are born prematurely to benefit.

After week 28

For those women who have not been vaccinated in or shortly after week 28 of pregnancy, the vaccine should continue to be offered up until delivery. Immunisation after week 36 of pregnancy may not offer as high a level of passive protection to the baby as there may be insufficient time for the mother to make a good response and have antibodies to pass across the placenta.

There is some evidence that good transplacental antibody transfer can take place within 2 weeks of vaccination so even doses given later in pregnancy may offer some protection to the infant. Vaccination late in pregnancy may also potentially protect the mother from RSV infection and reduce the risk of her becoming a source of infection to her infant as well as potentially providing antibodies in breast milk.

In labour or after delivery

It is clinically reasonable for women who present in labour and have not received the RSV vaccine during pregnancy to be offered the vaccine up until the time of discharge from hospital following delivery, or in comparable circumstances for births outside of hospital. However, this may not be available from all NHS services. The emphasis remains on offering vaccination from week 28 of pregnancy for trans-placental transfer of antibodies.

A vaccine delivered to the mother in labour or after delivery would not offer passive protection to the baby through transplacental antibody transfer but may protect the mother from contracting RSV or make her less infectious and therefore reduce chance of transmission to the infant. There may also be antibody transfer to the baby through breastmilk.

Before week 28

The vaccine should not routinely be given before week 28 of pregnancy. Where a consultant obstetrician or similar specialist considers that there is a compelling clinical reason for early immunisation the vaccine could be prescribed off-label and the rationale documented. See also inadvertent vaccine administration errors.

Recommended vaccines

Abrysvo® Pre-F vaccine (Pfizer Limited) is the vaccine to be used for the routine RSV vaccination of pregnant women for infant protection programme and is the only vaccine currently available for use within the national programme.

Abrysvo® was licensed in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory (MHRA) in November 2023 following clinical trials. The vaccine was trialled in over 17,000 adults over the age of 60 and in over 4,000 pregnant women. In the trials, Abrysvo® was shown to be 70% effective at preventing severe lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in infants born to vaccinated mothers for at least the first 6 months of life (which is the period of time when infants are most vulnerable to severe RSV infection).  There is some evidence of protection beyond this age from the same clinical trial.

Abrysvo® has been licensed for use as a maternal vaccination in the United States since May 2023. Over 100,000 doses have been administered to pregnant women in the USA since their maternal vaccination programme started in September 2023, where monitoring has shown a good safety profile. It has also been licensed for use in several European countries, Argentina, Australia, Canada and Japan.

How the vaccine works

The RSV vaccine Abrysvo® is a non-live bivalent recombinant protein vaccine. This means a small piece of the genetic material (DNA) from the protein of the virus is taken and inserted into a manufactured cell. As these cells grow, the protein is made too. This protein is then purified and put into the vaccine which, when introduced into the body by intramuscular injection, activates the immune system to produce antibodies against RSV. The vaccine is sometimes called pre-F because it is based on the prefusion form of the fusion (F) protein which the virus uses to invade human cells.

It is referred to as bivalent because Abrysvo® contains versions of 2 proteins found on the surface of the virus, one from a virus in RSV subgroup A and one from RSV subgroup B.

When a pregnant woman is given the vaccine, her immune system recognises these proteins as being foreign and makes antibodies against them. These antibodies pass across the placenta to her unborn baby and provide the baby with protection against RSV disease during infancy.

The vaccine also contains very small amounts of other ingredients, such as stabilisers (which preserve vaccine potency) and emulsifiers (which help the vaccine powder mix with the solvent (which is water for injection)). For the full list of vaccine components and excipients, vaccinators should see vaccine composition and refer to the Abrysvo® summary of product characteristics (SPC).

As it is a non-live vaccine (sometimes referred to as inactivated), the RSV vaccine does not contain any live organisms, cannot replicate and therefore cannot cause infection in either the mother or the fetus. The inactivated pertussis-containing vaccine and inactivated influenza vaccine are routinely given to pregnant women with no adverse effects and with proven safety and efficacy.

Prescription only medicines

All vaccines (including RSV vaccines) are classified as prescription only medicines (POMs). This means that they are subject to legal restrictions and there needs to be an appropriate legal framework in place before they can be supplied and or administered. Any person who supplies and administers a vaccine must have a legal authority to do so. This legal authority may be in the form of a written patient specific prescription, a Patient Specific Direction (PSD) or a Patient Group Direction (PGD).

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has developed an RSV PGD which will be available to download from the Immunisation PGD templates collection webpage. The UKHSA immunisation PGD templates require further authorisation in Section 2 of the PGD document before they can be used. The PGD is not legal or valid without signed authorisation.

Note: Abrysvo® is licensed to be given up to 36 weeks’ gestation (this was based on the gestational ages included in the clinical trials). Pregnant women who have not received the RSV vaccine before 36 weeks remain eligible until delivery, and under the PGD the vaccine can be given off-label in these circumstances, in line with national recommendations.

Vaccine ordering

Vaccines for the national RSV vaccination programmes in England should be ordered via the ImmForm website. Healthcare practitioners should refer to this website and Vaccine Update (the vaccination newsletter for healthcare practitioners) for current information on vaccine availability. As both programmes involve a year-round and not a seasonal offer of vaccination, vaccines should be ordered regularly throughout the year.

To minimise wastage due to fridge failures or expiry, healthcare practitioners are reminded to order no more than 2 weeks’ worth of stock rather than over-ordering or stockpiling vaccines. Vaccines should be ordered, stored and monitored as described in the Green Book Chapter 3 (Storage, distribution and disposal of vaccines).

Although the same Abrysvo® vaccine will be used for both the older adult and the vaccination of pregnant women, they will be listed as separate items on ImmForm and the vaccine allocated for each programme should be managed independently where possible. More information can be found on the ImmForm website.

Vaccine storage

Abrysvo® should be stored in a vaccine refrigerator between 2°C and 8°C. The vaccines should be stored in the original packaging to protect them from light. The vaccine must not be frozen.

After reconstitution Abrysvo® should be administered immediately.

Further information on vaccine storage and stability is available in the Abrysvo® SPC, the PGD and from the manufacturer.

Vaccine composition

The RSV vaccine Abrysvo® contains:

• trometamol
• trometamol hydrochloride
• sucrose
• mannitol
• polysorbate 80
• sodium chloride
• hydrochloric acid (for pH adjustment)
• the solvent is water for injection

There is no animal content in the vaccine. Abrysvo® vaccine has been certified Halal by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA).

The Abrysvo® vaccine contains polysorbate 80. Rarely, people may be allergic to polysorbate 80. However, polysorbate 80 is widely used in medicines and foods and is present in many medicines including some vaccines such as the main injected influenza vaccine for individuals aged 65 years and above. Some women may be allergic to polysorbate 80 but as it is present in many foods such as ice-cream and other frozen desserts, it is likely that people will know if they are allergic to it and individuals who have tolerated injections that contain polysorbate 80 are likely to tolerate the Abrysvo® vaccine.

Contraindications and precautions

The only contraindication to Abrysvo® vaccine is: confirmed anaphylactic reaction to a previous dose or any component of the vaccine.

Immunisation of women who are acutely unwell with a fever should be postponed until they have recovered fully. This is to avoid confusing the diagnosis of any acute illness by wrongly attributing any sign or symptoms to the adverse effects of the vaccine. The presence of a minor illness, such as the common cold, is not a contraindication to immunisation.

There are very few individuals who cannot receive Abrysvo®. Where there is doubt, rather than withholding vaccination, appropriate advice should be sought from the relevant specialist, or from the local immunisation or health protection team.

For women with thrombocytopenia or other bleeding disorders please see administration advice.

For full details refer to the Green Book RSV Chapter 27a and Abrysvo® PGD.

Adverse reactions commonly associated with the administration of Abrysvo®

The adverse reactions reported by Abrysvo® clinical trial participants were the expected side-effects commonly reported after any vaccination, reflecting the initiation of the inflammatory and immune responses that lead to vaccine-induced protection against disease.

The most commonly reported adverse reactions (affecting at least 1 in 10 of those receiving the vaccine) following vaccination with Abrysvo® in clinical trials were pain at the injection site (41%), headache (31%) and myalgia (muscle pain, 27%). The majority of side effects were mild to moderate and resolved within a few days.

In the vaccine trial, a slightly higher number of babies were born prematurely to women who received the vaccine than to women who received the placebo, but this was not statistically significant and there was no temporal relationship between vaccination and premature birth (2). This was observed in upper middle-income countries, from where the data are consistent with a chance difference and was not seen in high-income countries of Europe and North America. In the month following immunisation, the period when vaccine-related adverse events are considered to be most plausible, the rate of preterm birth in the vaccine group was 2.1% and in the control group 1.9%, which was statistically equivalent. In the 2 study arms the median gestational age at birth was equal at 39 weeks, and median birth weight equal at 3.3kg (2). There was no mortality signal associated with prematurity, and the overall number of deaths by 24 months of age was 5 in the vaccination arm and 12 in the placebo arm (1). There are no safety concerns around congenital anomalies, which were less common in the vaccine arm (5%) than the placebo group (6%). JCVI has advised that it is reassured that the safety data for Abrysvo® does not raise significant concerns about use in a programme, and the vaccine is approved by the MHRA on the basis of safety, quality and effectiveness (3).

Reporting adverse reactions

Abrysvo® is a newly licensed vaccine and is subject to additional monitoring under the black triangle (▼) labelling scheme by the MHRA.

All suspected adverse reactions should be reported to the MHRA via the Yellow Card scheme:

• online at Yellow Card Scheme
• downloading and using the Yellow Card app for Apple devices or Android devices
• by calling the Yellow Card scheme on 0800 731 6789 (9am to 5pm)

Vaccine presentation and preparation

Each box of Abrysvo® vaccine contains one vial of powder, one pre-filled syringe of solvent (water for injection), one vial adaptor, and one needle for administration. The vaccine must be reconstituted with the solvent provided. The prepared vaccine is a clear and colourless solution.

Clear instructions on how to prepare the vaccine for administration can be found in the SPC and manufacturer video. Immunisers are strongly encouraged to look at the SPC and watch the video in its entirety before preparing the vaccine for the first time.

Vaccine administration

Abrysvo® should be reconstituted according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once reconstituted, the vaccine should be administered immediately.

Abrysvo® is licensed to be given via the intramuscular (IM) route, preferably into the deltoid muscle in the upper arm.

For IM injections, the needle needs to be sufficiently long enough to ensure that the vaccine is injected into the muscle. For most women, the orange 25 gauge 25mm needle supplied with the Abrysvo® vaccine will be suitable and should be used. In larger women, a longer length (such as a 38mm) may be required, and an individual assessment should be made.

For more information on immunisation procedures, including needle length, please see the Green Book, Chapter 4, immunisation procedure.

Vaccine dosage and schedule

Abrysvo® should be administered as a 0.5ml dose after reconstitution using the full volume of the reconstituted vaccine, drawn up into the syringe.

The schedule for Abrysvo® is a single dose of vaccine in each pregnancy, from week 28 onwards. Where possible, Abrysvo® should be given in week 28 of pregnancy or soon after this so there is time for antibody development and transfer to give the baby the best protection, including if they are born early.

Vaccination of women with bleeding disorders

Women with bleeding disorders may be vaccinated intramuscularly if, in the opinion of a doctor familiar with the woman’s bleeding risk, vaccines or similar small volume IM injections can be administered with reasonable safety by this route. If the woman receives medication or treatment to reduce bleeding, for example treatment for haemophilia, IM vaccination can be scheduled shortly after such medication or treatment is administered.

Pregnant women on stable anticoagulation therapy, including women taking heparin prophylaxis, can receive IM vaccination. On the rare occasions where warfarin is used in a pregnant woman, IM vaccination can be used if the patient is up to date with scheduled international normalised ratio (INR) testing and the latest INR blood test is below the upper level of the therapeutic range. A fine needle (equal to 23 gauge or finer calibre such as 25 gauge) should be used for the vaccination, followed by firm pressure applied to the site (without rubbing) for at least 2 minutes. The woman should be informed about the risk of haematoma from the injection.

If in any doubt, consult with the clinician responsible for prescribing or monitoring the woman’s anticoagulant therapy.

Recommendations for the use of Abrysvo® vaccine

Administering RSV vaccine at the same time as anti-D immunoglobulin

The response to RSV vaccination will not be affected by, nor interfere with, anti-D immunoglobulin. The administration of RSV vaccine should not be delayed due to the woman receiving anti-D immunoglobulin.

Pregnant women previously vaccinated against RSV

Pregnant women should be offered an RSV vaccine from week 28 in each pregnancy, regardless of the interval between pregnancies. This is in order to maximise the antibodies the woman can transfer across the placenta to her unborn baby for best protection.

Pregnant women diagnosed with confirmed or suspected RSV

Although it might be expected that a woman diagnosed with RSV infection during pregnancy would transfer antibodies to her unborn baby, there is no assurance that the levels would be high enough to sufficiently protect the infant. As high levels of antibodies are made following vaccination, offering vaccine in week 28 of pregnancy or as soon as possible after that should ensure that optimal antibody levels can be passed to the baby.

Vaccination of women who may be infected, asymptomatic or incubating RSV infection is unlikely to have a detrimental effect on the illness but women currently experiencing symptoms of RSV disease should not attend for vaccination if they are acutely unwell with a fever. They should be vaccinated as soon as they are clinically recovered.

Breastfeeding mothers

It is likely that antibodies produced following maternal vaccination with Abrysvo® are present in human milk. These may contribute to the protective effect. No adverse effects from receiving RSV vaccine have been shown in breastfed newborns of vaccinated mothers. Infants born to women who have received Abrysvo® can be safely breastfed.

Vaccination of women following a previous diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome

A small number of cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) were observed following vaccination with Abrysvo® in older adults. In the first season of use in the USA, over 3 million doses were given to individuals aged 60 years and over and approximately 5 cases of GBS were reported for every million doses given in this age group (this compares to a background rate of around 0.5 per million recipients of vaccines considered not to have association with GBS). GBS occurs more commonly in males and older adults.

GBS is a very rare and serious condition that affects the nerves. It mainly affects the feet, hands and limbs, causing problems such as numbness, weakness and pain. In severe cases, GBS can cause difficulty moving, walking, breathing or swallowing.

A history of GBS is not a contraindication for RSV vaccination and eligible women should continue to be vaccinated as recommended. There is evidence from other vaccines to suggest that having had a prior diagnosis of GBS does not predispose an individual to further episodes of GBS following immunisation. Cases of GBS that occur following any vaccination may occur by chance (as the background rate of GBS is 20 per million people per year in the population).

Monoclonal antibody immunisation for high-risk infants

Predisposing clinical risk factors for severe RSV infection disease amongst infants includes:

• prematurity
• cardiopulmonary disease
• congenital heart disease
• chronic lung disease
• chromosomal abnormalities,
• neuromuscular disorders
• large airway abnormalities
• immunodeficiency

Further information is available in the Green Book chapter 27a.

A targeted RSV monoclonal antibody immunisation programme is available in the UK for high-risk infants meeting eligibility criteria outlined in the Green Book and will continue following the introduction of the maternal RSV vaccination programme. RSV monoclonal antibody immunisation for high-risk infants is being delivered in secondary care by paediatric services.  

All pregnant women should be offered RSV vaccination in every pregnancy. High-risk infants and children who meet the eligibility criteria in the high-risk section of the Green Book Chapter 27a should be offered a monoclonal antibody immunisation regardless of whether or not their mother received an RSV vaccine in pregnancy. Further information on monoclonal antibody immunisations and the high-risk infant programme can be found in the Green Book RSV chapter.

Co-administration of RSV vaccine with other vaccines given to pregnant women

The following advice applies only to pregnant women. Separate advice regarding co-administration is available for the older adult RSV vaccination programme.

Where more than one vaccine is administered at the same time, the vaccines should be given at a separate site, preferably in a different limb. If more than one vaccine is given in the same limb, they should be given at least 2.5cm apart. The sites at which each vaccine is given should be noted in the woman’s health records.

When co-administered, any reactions experienced are expected to be the same as those experienced when receiving the vaccines separately.

Influenza vaccine and RSV vaccines

Abrysvo® can be given concomitantly with inactivated influenza vaccine to pregnant women. Similarly, there are no safety or effectiveness concerns around giving Abrysvo® to pregnant teenagers who are due to have or who have recently had a live attenuated influenza vaccine nasal spray.

COVID-19 vaccine and RSV vaccines

For pregnant women who are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination campaign, this can be given at the same time as RSV vaccine.

Pertussis containing vaccine and RSV vaccines

There is some evidence that co-administration of the RSV vaccine with pertussis-containing vaccines may reduce the response made to pertussis components. The clinical significance of this is unclear and any impact on protection is likely to be small, the key pertussis toxoid component is least affected.

Giving the vaccines separately at the usual scheduled times of around 20 weeks for pertussis (around the time of the fetal anomaly scan) and from 28 weeks for RSV will avoid any potential attenuation of antibody response to the pertussis containing vaccine.

If a woman has not received a pertussis containing vaccine by the time she presents for an RSV vaccine, both vaccines can and should be given at the same appointment to provide timely protection against both infections to the infant. If the vaccines are not given at the same time, they can be given at any interval.

Inadvertent vaccine administration errors

Healthcare practitioners should report all inadvertent vaccine administration errors via their local governance systems so that appropriate action can be taken, lessons can be learnt and the risk of future errors minimised.

Vaccine inadvertently given before 28 weeks’ gestation

If the dose was inadvertently given prior to 16 weeks of pregnancy, the dose should be repeated to maximise the volume of antibodies generated by the mother transferring across the placenta to the unborn baby. If a repeat dose is required, it should be given from 28 weeks of pregnancy.

If the woman is more than 16 weeks pregnant when she receives the vaccine, this will be counted as a valid dose and does not need to be repeated as vaccination from this stage would be expected to generate an antibody response that will transfer across the placenta to protect the infant.

Additional dose given in error

If a pregnant woman is inadvertently given a second dose of RSV vaccine in pregnancy, she should be reassured that no adverse effects are anticipated other than those that may occur following the first dose of RSV vaccination.

Incomplete dose given

If an incomplete dose of Abrysvo® has been given inadvertently, this dose should be discounted. If the woman is still in the clinic, administer a replacement full dose immediately. If the replacement dose cannot be given on the same day, administer it as soon as possible after the invalid partial dose was given in order to provide protection at the earliest opportunity.

Reconstitution errors

Inadvertent administration of the Abrysvo® solvent only

Where women have inadvertently received the solvent only, they should be revaccinated with the correctly reconstituted vaccine. If the woman is still in the clinic, administer a replacement dose immediately. If the replacement dose cannot be given on the same day (for example because the woman has left before the error has been realised), they should be recalled and the dose administered as soon as possible. The solvent is water for injection and contains no active ingredient, meaning no protection will be generated by receiving this.

If only the solvent is injected without reconstituting it with the powder containing the active ingredients, the pregnant woman should be reassured that it is not harmful but should be advised it will not offer her baby any protection. She should be offered a correctly reconstituted vaccine as soon as possible after the error is realised.

What to do if the vaccine has been shaken

The SPC recommends that the vaccine is swirled and not shaken. If it is shaken in error, this is not expected to affect the potency or effectiveness of the vaccine. If the vaccine has already been given, it does not need to be repeated. If the vaccine has not yet been given, it should not be discarded and can still be used.

What to do if the luer lock adaptor has not been used

The technique for preparing the vaccine, as set out in the instructional video and SPC, should be followed. If the luer lock adapter has been detached from the syringe following preparation of the vaccine, or was not used in the preparation, providing the preparation technique has not introduced microbial contamination (that is, appropriate infection control procedures have been followed) and the syringe contains a full reconstituted dose, it is possible to attach a needle to the luer slip tip and safely administer a full dose of the vaccine.

Resources

To order RSV posters, stickers and patient leaflets to be delivered to you, please visit Health Publications and register for a health professional account. Searching for RSV should identify patient resources available. Please note digital resources such as the social media graphics are download only.

Healthcare practitioner resources to support the RSV programme including the Green Book RSV chapter, Information for Healthcare Practitioners document and a training slide set for both programmes are available on the RSV immunisation collection site. The PGD is also available on the UKHSA PGD templates collection page ready for local authorisation.

Pfizer, (the product manufacturer) has a preparation video and resources about the Abrysvo® vaccine available on the Pfizer health professionals website.

For additional information about RSV disease see Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): symptoms, transmission, prevention, treatment.

References

1. Kampmann B, Madhi SA, Munjal I, Simões EAF, Pahud BA, Llapur C, Baker J, Pérez Marc G, Radley D, Shittu E, Glanternik J, Snaggs H, Baber J, Zachariah P, Barnabas SL, Fausett M, Adam T, Perreras N, Van Houten MA, Kantele A, Huang LM, Bont LJ, Otsuki T, Vargas SL, Gullam J, Tapiero B, Stein RT, Polack FP, Zar HJ, Staerke NB, Duron Padilla M, Richmond PC, Koury K, Schneider K, Kalinina EV, Cooper D, Jansen KU, Anderson AS, Swanson KA, Gruber WC, Gurtman A. MATISSE Study Group. ’Bivalent Prefusion F Vaccine in Pregnancy to Prevent RSV Illness in Infants‘ N Engl J Med. 20 April 2023: issue 388, volume 16, pages 1451-1464.

2. Kampmann B, Radley D, Munjal I. ’Bivalent Prefusion F Vaccine in Pregnancy to Prevent RSV Illness in Infants. Reply‘ N Engl J Med. 14 September 2023: volume 389, issue 11, pages 1053-1055. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc2307729. PMID: 37703563

3. Wilkinson, E. ’UK approves first RSV vaccine for pregnant women and older adults (corrected)’ Pulse Today 2023