A new study shows that women who receive the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine during pregnancy will lower the odds that their baby will be hospitalized for the virus.

This study adds to the evidence that the RSV vaccine during pregnancy is a safe and effective method to protect the health of newborn babies compared to mothers who do not receive the vaccine.

This post will examine this new study on the RSV vaccine during pregnancy.

RSV facts

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common, contagious virus that causes infections of the respiratory tract. It is a single-stranded RNA virus, and its name is derived from the large cells known as syncytia that form when infected cells fuse.

It usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. But it can cause serious lung infections, especially in infants, older adults, and people with serious medical problems. Generally, these individuals have weaker immune systems that are unable to fight the RSV infection

RSV spreads from person to person through:

• Coughing and sneezing.
• Direct contact, such as kissing the face of a child who has RSV.
• Touching an object or surface with the virus, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands.

RSV can sometimes lead to pneumonia (infection of the lungs) and congestive heart failure (when the heart can’t pump blood and oxygen to the body’s tissues).

According to the CDC, each year in the United States, RSV leads to approximately—

• 14,000 deaths among adults 65 years and older
• 2.1 million outpatient visits among children younger than 5 years old
• 58,000 hospitalizations among children younger than 5 years old
• 177,000 hospitalizations among adults 65 years and older.

According to the CDC, during the first three months, two to three babies out of every 100 are hospitalized in the United States with RSV. As I mentioned above, RSV infections can turn dangerous in babies and small kids who have lower levels of natural immunity. 

RSV vaccine during pregnancy study

In a paper published on 1 June 2026 in JAMA Network Open, lead author Anne-Marie Rick, MD, PhD, MPH, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and colleagues analyzed health records from the Pittsburgh-based UPMC health system for 274 infants aged 90 days or younger who were hospitalized during the 2023–24 and 2024–25 RSV seasons. Babies were tested for RSV, and the results of those whose mothers received the vaccine during pregnancy were compared to those who were not vaccinated.

Here are the key results:

• 68% reduction in RSV hospitalizations of babies for acute respiratory illnesses in the vaccinated group.
• 69% reduction in hospitalizations of babies for lower respiratory tract disease in the vaccinated group.

The authors concluded:

Maternal RSVpreF (RSV vaccine) vaccination was associated with protection against RSV-associated ARI (RSV-associated acute respiratory illness) and LRTD (lower respiratory tract disease) hospitalization among infants 90 days or younger. These findings provide early clinical evidence supporting the effectiveness of maternal RSVpreF vaccination in preventing RSV-associated hospitalization in infants.

Summary

There are some limitations to this study. First, it’s relatively small, so further studies may supersede its conclusions. Second, the study was conducted within a single healthcare system, so there may be biases and confounders that influenced the results.

The study did show a statistically significant reduction in infant hospitalizations, so that should provide evidence to expectant mothers to get the RSV vaccine.

If you are pregnant, you should talk to your physician about getting the vaccine. It will keep your baby out of the hospital.

Citations

• Rick AM, Deese J, Kerr JE, Hui J, Liu H, Yu G, Chang CH, Fazio N, Tahir MH, Bieltz R, Ravindra A, Megli C, Jeyabalan A, Pugh SJ, Patel D, Fan R, Atwell JE, Cané A, Martin JM. Maternal Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prefusion F Vaccination and Acute Respiratory Illness in Infants. JAMA Netw Open. 2026 Jun 1;9(6):e2616773. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.16773. PMID: 42247233; PMCID: PMC13241942.

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