The information below is from the Thunder Bay & District Health Unit’s website. For more information, please click here.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common virus that infects the lungs and airways (breathing passages). RSV is a major cause of lower respiratory illness, particularly among young children (2 years old or younger) and older adults (60 years old or older). RSV is usually a mild disease that goes away on its own. However, RSV can sometimes lead to serious infections like pneumonia or bronchiolitis in very young children and older adults.
To learn more about the signs and symptoms of RSV, as well as the RSV Prophylaxis Program for High-Risk Infants, visit the government of Ontario’s page on Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
Who can receive the RSV vaccine?
Ontario recently launched an RSV prevention program that is ONLY for people who are at higher risk of serious complications from RSV or who live in settings at higher risk from RSV.
Under this program, the RSV vaccine is available for FREE to anyone who is 60 years old or older AND a member of any of the following groups:
- Living in long-term care homes, including Elder Care Lodges and retirement homes licensed to provide dementia care
- A hospital alternate level of care (ALC) patient
- A dialysis patient
- A transplant recipient
- Experiencing homelessness
- Indigenous
