Was RSV dangerous for senior before the vaccine?

A tweet from Dr. Mary Talley Bowden suggests the dangers of RSV for seniors were invented to sell a vaccine.

In general, we like to use recent studies to highlight the latest science, but to make this case, we have to take a trip back in time.

Travel with us to 2013, where researchers discussed mortality, including mortality in hospitalized adult RSV patients. The study concludes that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can lead to significant health complications in hospitalized adults, especially older adults and those with pre-existing conditions.

Let’s go further back to 2000, when researchers looked at RSV in adults, including the risks of pneumonia and death, especially in adult living facilities. This study concluded that “Certain groups of adults would benefit from the development of effective new antivirals and vaccines for the treatment and prevention of RSV infection.” A vaccine was just a twinkle of an idea then.

Still too recent for you? Let’s try 1988. This study found RSV infection in 11 immunocompromised adults (ages 21-50), causing symptoms like fever, cough, and nasal congestion, and led to the death of 4 patients, especially those with bone marrow transplants, highlighting the need to consider RSV in similar cases.

Dr. Mary Talley Bowden, an ENT and sleep specialist, is the founder for Americans for Health Freedom, an organization with a history of being contrarian to medical science and of being wrong.