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Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection typically causes mild cold-like symptoms including runny nose, sore throat, cough, and headache. But in older adults and adults with certain underlying conditions it can progress to more severe disease involving the lower respiratory tract.
Michele is a patient advocate who experienced RSV. Others' experiences with RSV may be different. Michele is a respiratory therapist, but is speaking to her experience with RSV, she is not providing medical advice. She was compensated by GSK for her participation in this program.
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My name is Michele. I’m a 54-year-old respiratory therapist and medical device specialist, and I live in New Jersey with my daughter and husband.
I was diagnosed with asthma as a child, and now at age 54, I still manage it on a daily basis.
When it’s giving me trouble, it feels like this tightness in my chest, like I can’t get a good breath.
Two years ago, when I was 52, I started having symptoms that resembled a bad head cold — congestion and a runny nose — but otherwise I felt fine, so I continued about my normal routine.
After a few days of trying to manage my symptoms with over-the- counter medications, I started feeling worse — more respiratory complications, fatigue, fever, nausea, even vomiting and diarrhea. I was so sick that I couldn’t move. That’s when my husband took me to the hospital.
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RSV is usually mild, though in older adults and adults with asthma, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or chronic heart failure (CHF), it can sometimes be severe.
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At the hospital, I was diagnosed with RSV, and a chest X-ray showed that I also had pneumonia. The doctors said I likely caught RSV first and then developed pneumonia.
I was in the hospital for six lonely, isolating days, stuck in a room where all of the staff had to wear masks, gowns and gloves. I couldn’t go out into the hallway because I might get someone else sick. It felt like the pandemic all over again.
Then, once I got home, it took me even longer to fully recover.
My asthma made the whole experience more challenging. My lungs were weak. I could barely breathe. On top of that, the fatigue and headaches left me bedridden.
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Most RSV infections go away on their own in a week or two.
I got out of the hospital the day before my daughter came home from college to celebrate her 21st birthday.
That’s a big birthday. You only get one of those. And I was so sick. I couldn’t celebrate her the way I wanted to.
And then it was Christmas. We had planned to get together with family and bake a bunch of our favorite desserts, but we had to cancel because I still was not feeling well. My husband and daughter and I just ended up staying home for Christmas that year.
Being sick with RSV really made me appreciate the things in life that make me happy. I missed feeling well enough to go to concerts with my friends, tend to my garden, and even just eat dinner with my husband at the table.
Although RSV feels like a little more than a common cold to most people, RSV can be dangerous for some, including older adults and adults with certain underlying conditions. In my case, it was my asthma that put me at risk for severe RSV infection.
If you’re fortunate enough that RSV ends up being more like a cold, then you’re lucky. But if you’re already experiencing a chronic heart or lung disease, and then you’re adding RSV on top of it, you can get really sick like I did.
Now, RSV vaccination is available and recommended for my age group as someone with an underlying health condition; when I got sick it wasn’t. If I ever were to get RSV again, I want to know that I took all the steps in my power to potentially lessen the severity of infection – and for me, that starts with vaccination.
Recommend AREXVY to your appropriate unvaccinated patients. Visit AREXVYHCP.com for more information.
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Indication for AREXVY
AREXVY is a vaccine indicated for active immunization for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in:
- individuals 60 years of age and older;
- individuals 50 through 59 years of age who are at increased risk for LRTD caused by RSV.
Vaccination may not protect all recipients.
AREXVY is the first RSV vaccine approved for patients 50-59 years of age who are at increased risk for RSV-LRTD.
Important Safety Information
- AREXVY is contraindicated in anyone with a history of a severe allergic reaction (eg, anaphylaxis) to any component of AREXVY
- The results of a postmarketing observational study suggest an increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome during the 42 days following vaccination with AREXVY
- Appropriate medical treatment must be immediately available to manage potential anaphylactic reactions following administration of AREXVY
- Syncope (fainting) may occur in association with administration of injectable vaccines, including AREXVY. Procedures should be in place to avoid injury from fainting
- Immunocompromised persons, including those receiving immunosuppressive therapy, may have a diminished immune response to AREXVY
- In adults 60 years of age and older, the most commonly reported adverse reactions (≥10%) were injection site pain (60.9%), fatigue (33.6%), myalgia (28.9%), headache (27.2%), and arthralgia (18.1%)
- In adults 50 through 59 years of age, the most commonly reported adverse reactions (≥10%) were injection site pain (75.8%), fatigue (39.8%), myalgia (35.6%), headache (31.7%), arthralgia (23.4%), erythema (13.2%), and swelling (10.4%)
- There are no data on the use of AREXVY in pregnant or breastfeeding individuals. AREXVY is not approved for use in persons <50 years of age
- Vaccination with AREXVY may not result in protection of all vaccine recipients
Please see full Prescribing Information on AREXVYHCP.com
AREXVY (Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine, Adjuvanted)
GSK
Trademarks are owned by or licensed to the GSK group of companies.
©2024 GSK or licensor.
PM-US-RSAVID240047 March 2025
Produced in USA.
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