RSV vaccination in older adults with health conditions is cost-effective

Targeting vaccination programs for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to older adults with underlying health conditions is a cost-effective way to reduce disease, according to a new modelling study. RSV infections cause major illness, especially in infants and older adults, and rates of infection increase with age. There are now vaccines available to prevent disease caused by RSV in adults, and vaccination campaigns may reduce the incidence in older adults and associated health care costs. To understand the potential impact of RSV vaccinations, researchers created a model to assess the cost-effectiveness of vaccine programs in different age groups with different medical risk. Most existing cost-effectiveness studies have focused on adults aged 60 and older, but in this study, researchers focused on adults aged 50 and older. They analyzed a combination of age-only, medical risk–only and age- plus medical risk–based vaccination strategies. “Strategies focused on adults with underlying medical conditions that place them at increased...