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The FDA has approved the first-ever vaccine for RSV

The shot, for those 60 and over, can protect against severe respiratory illness 

A photo of an RSV vaccine bottle with a syringe, stethoscope and other vaccine bottle on a white background.

For the first time, a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus has been approved.

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By Tina Hesman Saey

Respiratory syncytial virus hospitalizes tens of thousands of people each year in the United States. Now there’s a powerful new tool against it: the first-ever RSV vaccine.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced May 3 that it had granted approval for an RSV vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline to be used in people 60 and older.