Knowledge of RSV disease and RSV vaccine eligibility is low among hospitalized older adults, according to a study published online April 1 in JAMA Network Open.

Researchers from the CDC examined characteristics associated with RSV vaccine receipt and knowledge and attitudes relating to RSV vaccines during the first season of RSV vaccine use from October 1, 2023, to April 30, 2024, among adults aged 60 years or older who were hospitalized with RSV-negative acute respiratory illness.

Of the 6,746 hospitalized adults aged 60 years or older, 10.4% and 89.6% were RSV-vaccinated and unvaccinated, respectively. The researchers found that 47.2% of the 3,219 unvaccinated adults who responded to RSV knowledge questions had not heard of RSV or were unsure; 78.5% were unsure if they were eligible for vaccination or thought they were not.

Characteristics Associated With RSV Vaccination

Characteristics associated with RSV vaccination were age (75 years or older) and being a man (adjusted risk ratios [aRRs], 1.23 and 1.15, respectively), having pulmonary disease and immunocompromised status (aRRs, 1.39 and 1.30, respectively), low or moderate social vulnerability index (aRR, 1.47 for both), and educational level consisting of 4 or more years of college, at least some college or technical training, or grade 12 or General Education Development (aRR, 2.91, 1.85, and 1.44, respectively) in adjusted analyses. Residents of long-term care facilities, patients with Medicaid coverage, and uninsured patients were less likely to have RSV vaccination.

“Ongoing monitoring in future RSV seasons is needed to determine whether simplified recommendations, increases in awareness of RSV disease and vaccine information, and expansion in access to primary prevention services will lead to improved RSV vaccination coverage among older adults at higher risk for severe disease,” the study authors wrote.