RSV

For most people, the virus is mild — but experts say it can be more severe for infants, young children and older adults.

Flu. COVID. RSV. When and how to get vaccinated against them can be confusing. Here are some of the most important things to know.

An expert panel for the CDC endorsed the one-time shot for infants born just before or during the RSV season and for those less than 8 months old before the start of the season.

AstraZeneca’s drug, to be sold under the brand name Beyfortus, is a laboratory-made version of an antibody that helps the immune system fight off RSV.

The newly approved vaccines are expected to be ready in the fall, a time when flu shots and updated COVID-19 shots also will be available.

At least 58,000 childern younger than 5 years old are hospitalized each year with RSV infections. A Pfizer vaccine given to pregnant people could help protect their infants from severe RSV illness.

The move sets the stage for adults 60 and older to get vaccinated this fall — but first, the CDC must decide if every senior really needs RSV protection or only those considered at high risk.

The Vaccines for Children program, which buys more than half the pediatric vaccines in the U.S., may not cover the RSV shot for babies because it’s not technically a vaccine.

The illness sends tens of thousands of babies to the hospital each year. If approved, the new injection would be the first broadly available prevention tool.

After months of COVID, flu and RSV infections, parents of little kids are kinda losing it. But the data shows kids have always brought home waves of respiratory illness.