Peter Marks, of the United States Food and Drug Administration, disclosed in a statement on Wednesday that the country has approved the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus is a common respiratory virus that normally causes mild, cold-like symptoms. It can also cause pneumonia and bronchiolitis. However, most people recover in a week or two, it can be serious, especially for infants and older adults.
Marks said, “Today’s approval of the first RSV vaccine is an important public health achievement to prevent a disease which can be life-threatening.”
In recent years, awareness of the disease has increased, partly due to the strain it has placed on hospital systems over the last two winters.
According to data from the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), Respiratory Syncytial Virus leads to approximately 60,000 to 120,000 hospitalizations and 6,000 to 10,000 deaths among adults 65 years of age and older.
The US is now the first country to approve the Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccine globally.