According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, side effects following RSV vaccine may include redness, pain, and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle & joint pain, diarrhea, nausea and fever.
Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), a rare but serious neurological disorder that causes inflammation of the peripheral nerves with complications that include temporary or chronic paralysis, including full body paralysis, have been reported in association with RSV vaccines.
According to a CDC analysis of data on RSV vaccinations given between May 3, 2023 and April 14, 2024 in persons 60 years of age and older, reports of GBS following RSV vaccination were higher than expected. Rates of GBS following GSK’s AREXVY RSV vaccine were reported at 1.5 cases per million doses, while rates following Pfizer’s ABRYSVO RSV vaccine were reported at 5 cases per million doses. Two GBS-related deaths were noted among 18 reported deaths from “a variety of reasons” post vaccination. Additional causes of deaths were reported as cardiovascular events, RSV infection, sepsis, hepatic encephalopathy, and severe respiratory illness and failure.
Pre-term births and high blood pressure, including pre-eclampsia, have been reported among women who received RSV vaccine during pregnancy.
IMPORTANT NOTE: NVIC encourages you to become fully informed about Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine by reading all sections in the Table of Contents, which contain many links and resources such as the manufacturer product information inserts, and to speak with one or more trusted health care professionals before making a vaccination decision for yourself or your child. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
