5 May 2023: Based on a 25,000-person research that showed a single dose of the vaccine was 83 percent effective against RSV sickness and more than 94 percent effective against severe disease. What is RSV?
A vaccination against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which claims the lives of thousands of Americans each year, has been licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Globally, RSV affects an estimated 64 million people and causes 160,000 deaths each year as per National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases website(https://www.niaid.nih.gov)
Before being made available to the general public, the vaccine still need authorization from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to authorities, the vaccine, called Arexvy by the maker GSK, is a significant advancement that will save many lives.
In a few months, senior citizens might have access to it, according to officials. Dr Peter Marks, who leads the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said, "Today's approval of the first RSV vaccine is an important public health achievement to prevent a disease which can be life-threatening".
RSV is a respiratory disease that normally affects adults and causes cold-like symptoms, but it can be fatal for young children, the elderly, and people with serious medical conditions. In extreme circumstances, it can lead to bronchiolitis, which includes an accumulation of swelling in the lungs and breathing difficulties.
Based on a 25,000-person research that showed a single dose of the vaccine was 83 percent effective against RSV sickness and more than 94 percent effective against severe disease, the vaccine was authorized for use for persons who were 60 and older.
The most frequent side effects were joint stiffness, muscular soreness, headaches, and pain at the injection site.
The medication has been in development for more than 60 years and is the first to be approved globally to prevent RSV.
