Dr Amy Crawford-Faucher Discusses RSV and Future Vaccines

Amy Crawford-Faucher, MD, vice chair of the Primary Care Institute and Department of Family Medicine at Allegheny Health Network, discussed treatment methods for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) without vaccine treatment as well as what future vaccines could mean for older adults.

Transcript

RSV has been affecting children at a higher rate this year than in previous years. In the absence of a vaccine, what are the options for treating this disease in infants?

So, in infants, and the very young children who are at most risk, there are certain protocols, for sure, that you can use to treat the symptoms of the virus. But, honestly, a lot of it is just anticipatory guidance to parents to say "This is when you need to worry, this is how we need to see you, or where we need to see you. And this is what you need to do if things worsen."

What do older adults need to know about RSV vaccines?

So I do know that there are some RSV vaccines in the works, but I don't have details about them and when they're going to be ready. So honestly, RSV was one of those viruses that we never really checked for in adults, because it typically didn't make adults very sick. And this has been a strange year, you know, for many reasons.

I think we need to wait and see for vaccines for adults. And I think that if it came through, it'd be probably for the highest risk people who have underlying pulmonary diseases.