When caring for expectant patients, your guidance on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prevention can make a meaningful difference ‒ helping protect newborns from serious illness during their earliest, most vulnerable months.

RSV is the leading cause of infant hospitalization in the U.S.  

Risk is especially high in the first months of life. Before newer prevention options ‒ such as maternal RSV vaccination ‒ RSV accounted for an estimated 58,000–80,000 hospitalizations and 100–300 deaths each year among children younger than age five, with infants younger than six months disproportionately affected.¹

RSV prevention is important year‑round in prenatal care

Because the risk of hospitalization is highest in the first month of life, RSV prevention planning is most effective when it begins during pregnancy – especially for babies born just before, during, or shortly after traditional RSV season.¹

• Every infant enters a high-risk window at birth. RSV is often described as “seasonal,” but susceptibility begins immediately after delivery. Nearly all children are infected by age two, and severe illness is most common in infants younger than six months, when immune protection is still developing.^1,2
• RSV in early infancy may have longer-term respiratory implications. Children infected in the first year of life have been shown to have a significantly higher risk of asthma later in childhood.³

Maternal RSV vaccination: A prevention option to discuss during pregnancy

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommend a single dose of maternal RSV vaccine during 32–36 weeks gestation. This timing supports placental transfer of protective antibodies, helping protect infants during their most vulnerable first months of life.^1,4

Data from the 2024–2025 RSV season—the first season with widespread use of maternal RSV vaccination—reinforces that maternal vaccination can help protect infants starting at birth, regardless of when community RSV activity peaks:

• Among infants 0–7 months, RSV‑associated hospitalization rates were 28–43% lower than in pre‑pandemic seasons.
• The largest reduction (45–52%) was observed in infants 0–2 months — the age group at highest risk for severe RSV disease.⁵

CDC guidance indicates maternal RSV vaccination can help protect infants for approximately six months after birth.³ When counseling patients, this can help frame expectations across a range of delivery dates:

• Babies born before RSV season may remain protected as RSV activity increases.
• Babies born after RSV season can still receive early-life protection during the period when hospitalization risk is highest.

By proactively discussing RSV prevention with expectant parents, you can help protect newborns during their highest‑risk months – while reducing RSV-related hospitalizations and potential downstream complications.

Cigna Healthcare^® coverage

Routine vaccinations, including the maternal RSV vaccine, are typically covered at no cost when administered at in-network locations, which your patients can find by logging in to the myCigna^® portal (myCigna.com).

Coverage is not limited by time of year, supporting vaccination when clinically appropriate so newborns can benefit from early passive immunity. For more details, see our vaccination coverage policies in the Preventive Care Services Coverage Policy (A004).

Additional information

For additional resources to support patient conversations, please read the articles below.

• Routine immunizations
• Flu
• Human papillomavirus
• Hepatitis B
• Vaccine misinformation

1   Use of Clesrovimab for Prevention of Severe Respiratory Syncytial Virus–Associated Lower Respiratory Tract Infections in Infants: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2025.

2   https://www.NIAID.NIH.gov/diseases-conditions/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv.

3   NIAID-Supported Study Provides Stronger Evidence of Link Between RSV and Childhood Asthma | NIAID: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

4   Immunizations to Protect Infants | RSV | CDC.

5   Interim Evaluation of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalization Rates Among Infants and Young Children After Introduction of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prevention Products — United States, October 2024–February 2025 | MMWR.