Health Decoding ｜RSV infection can cause severe illness, long-term illness and the elderly should be careful

Older people who suffer from chronic diseases have relatively poor immunity and are at greater risk of being infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). To resist virus attack, vaccines are now available to strengthen the defense of the elderly. Recently, some social welfare organizations have given vaccination discounts to elderly people with financial difficulties. If they are referred by public hospitals and found with physical conditions suitable for injection, the vaccine can be get it at a discounted price.

Lin Yixi, a registered pharmacist at Huize Community Pharmacy in St. James Settlement, pointed out that elderly people over 60 years old, especially those with chronic diseases, including those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, diabetes and heart disease, at a relatively high risk of getting the RSV virus Symptoms are also more severe than normal people. In general, adults with the virus will have cold-like symptoms because the immune system of the elderly is relatively weak, they may have shortness of breath and difficulty breathing, and may even need to be in the a hospital.

Guidelines recommend vaccination with an approved RSV vaccine to prevent serious illness and hospitalization

Worryingly, infection with the RSV virus may worsen wheezing in the elderly, along with more severe asthma symptoms. In addition, RSV can cause pneumonia and bronchitis, the latter being another common problem among infected elderly.

Once infected with the RSV virus, there is currently no specific medication for treatment. For seniors with asthma or COPD, be sure to take medications as prescribed to relieve breathing problems. To effectively resist viral infections, international guidelines recommend that patients receive an adjunctive RSV vaccine to strengthen their own immunity.

Lin Yixi, a registered pharmacist at Huize Community Pharmacy in St. James Settlement, pointed out that based on research, the RSV adjuvant vaccine can protect people aged 60 and older from more than 80% of lower respiratory infections caused by the virus, and can protect more than one patient.

Vaccination discounts available when referred from public hospitals

What kind of people should get the RSV vaccine as early as possible? Pharmacists cited guidelines from the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), the Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to recommend that people aged 60 and over should age, especially people with co-morbidities such as asthma and COPD should have a vaccination; in addition, elderly people with heart or lung disease, immunocompromised people, and those living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities should be vaccinated against RSV as early as possible as possible.

To help elderly people with financial difficulties to get the RSV vaccine as early as possible, the St. James Huize Settlement Community Pharmacy has recently established an RSV vaccine discount program, which is suitable for patients who receiving treatment or follow-up. consultation in public hospitals. People aged 60 or older who have been confirmed to be eligible for RSV vaccination by a doctor in a public hospital can contact the Huize Community Pharmacy by phone or WhatsApp with a prescription or send a referral letter the hospital out to confirm the details and book the vaccination. After that, eligible people can bring their valid Hong Kong ID cards and documents issued by public hospitals to Huize Community Pharmacy to get vaccines at discounted prices.

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