RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is traditionally considered a childhood infection, and it certainly infects and hospitalizes many children and infants each year in Tennessee. But, like many other viruses we get in childhood, it can return with a vengeance when we get older. The estimated average is for 177,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths each year for adults. People who are aged 65 and older, who have chronic lung or heart diseases, and who have impaired immunity are particularly at risk.
Read More: COVID-19, flu and RSV cases are filling up Tennessee clinics and hospital ERs
Read More: With no Vaccine Available, RSV Cases on the Rise in Tennessee Adults
We have seen an increase in RSV cases in Tennessee and many areas of the country with the expectation it would accelerate. The trend has played out as expected, and even more adults and infants in Tennessee are coming down with RSV this year according to the news. As with other respiratory infections, RSV spreads mostly from aerosolized breath when infected people cough or sneeze. Touching an infected surface and transferring the virus to your face can happen as well, but close contact with children who have the virus is also a big risk for many grandparents. So to protect yourself the triad of masking, social distancing, and hand-washing remains the standard recommendation.
You’re probably thinking, “What we need is a convenient vaccine for RSV”. That’s what many other people have thought, too, so you probably know where this is leading. We have a study coming soon for a new RSV vaccine, combined with a traditional flu vaccine. That way, people will be able to receive inoculations for both conditions at once.
While that study is for adults, we’re also set to begin a study for infants between 6-months- and 2-years-old late in January 2024. This study is for an RSV vaccine only, not in combination with the flu vaccine yet. We hope you’ll consider joining us, so that we can contribute to making RSV vaccines available for everyone.
We’re looking for volunteers, so if you are interested in learning more, simply enter your contact information into the form on our web page. We’ll contact with you more details, and you can then make a decision that’s best for you and your family. Just go to clinicalresearchassociates.com/rsv/or call us at 615-329-2222.
Sign up for any clinical trial here.
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