While respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) remains so common that almost every child gets it before they turn 2 years old, it can cause serious illness in infants, leading to the hospitalization of up to three of every 100 infected infants. Maternal vaccination with RSVpreF (Abrysvo) protects newborns from getting the virus, yet relatively few moms in the United States and Europe have opted for it since its rollout in 2023, a study published last week in The Lancet Regional Health-Europe finds. 

“We found the vaccine reduced the risk of RSV-related hospitalization in babies under six months by around 74%, which lines up well with what the clinical trials predicted,” senior author Ting Shi, PhD, MPH, of the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, said in a university news release. “But uptake during the first vaccination seasons was low.”

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Granada in Spain led the study, which examined data from 16 studies from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. The studies included more than 4 million pregnancies in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Thirteen studies took place in the United States, where 27.1% of pregnant women accepted the maternal RSV vaccine. One cross-sectional study in England showed a 19% maternal RSV vaccine uptake, while a study in Scotland indicated 50.4% of women received the dose. The French study showed that the rate of acceptance among moms-to-be was about the same as it was in the United States: 27.2%. 

Women who received other vaccines recommended during pregnancy were more likely to accept the RSVpreF vaccine, which works best if administered from 32 to 36 weeks’ gestation.