{"id":266725,"date":"2025-09-30T14:36:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T14:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/266725\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T14:36:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T14:36:11","slug":"doctors-share-the-surprising-side-effects-of-the-rsv-vaccine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/266725\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctors Share the Surprising Side Effects of the RSV Vaccine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Once the fall rolls around, many people head to their local pharmacy for a flu shot<\/a>, a practice they’ve been taking part in for years. In fact, the first flu vaccines were approved all the way back in 1945, according to the Mayo Clinic<\/a>. On the other hand, the vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, were all approved for use in the United States within the last three years. So it’s not surprising if you still have questions, such as what are the most common RSV vaccine side effects?
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Meet the experts<\/strong>: Amesh A. Adalja, M.D.,<\/a> is a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security; Thomas Russo, M.D.,<\/a> is a professor and chief of infectious diseases at the University at Buffalo in New York; William Schaffner, M.D.,<\/a> is an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.<\/p>\n

While everyone will react slightly differently to vaccines, there are some common side effects of the RSV vaccine to be aware of. Here, experts break down the differences among the three RSV vaccines that have been approved for use in the U.S., plus the possible side effects, when you should be concerned about a reaction to the vaccine, and if it’s safe to get. <\/p>\n

What is RSV?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Respiratory syncytial virus, a.k.a. RSV, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> (CDC). While most people recover from the virus in a week or two, others\u2014namely infants and older adults\u2014can experience serious complications like pneumonia<\/a> and need to be hospitalized. <\/p>\n

\u201cRSV is a ubiquitous respiratory virus that is comparable in severity to influenza in older adults,\u201d said Amesh A. Adalja, M.D.,<\/a> a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.<\/p>\n

Each year, RSV infections causes between 110,000 and 180,000 hospitalizations in adults over 50, per CDC<\/a> data. The CDC<\/a> says it also leads to between 58,000 and 80,000 hospitalizations in children under the age of 5. <\/p>\n

Available RSV vaccines<\/p>\n

There are currently three types of RSV vaccines approved for use in the U.S.:<\/p>\n