More than 30 babies and young children have mistakenly received adult respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines, as reported by the CDC. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) documented 27 cases of the Pfizer RSV vaccine and seven cases of the GSK RSV vaccine being administered to children under 2 years old between August 2023 and March 2024.

Dr. Pedro Moro and colleagues from the CDC highlighted the importance of preventing such administration errors through proper education and training. They emphasized that while rare, errors in vaccine administration can occur, especially with the introduction of new vaccines or products.

Out of the children who received the vaccines, 31 were infants under 8 months old, with 21 cases occurring in family medicine practices. The CDC report warned that healthcare facilities storing and administering Pfizer and GSK RSV vaccines alongside other routine vaccines could lead to inadvertent administration to infants and young children.

Dr. Eric Simões, a pediatric infectious diseases expert, expressed his lack of surprise at the vaccine errors, citing the complexities of administering vaccines to both adults and children. He stressed the importance of ensuring that adult RSV vaccines are not given to children.

The Pfizer RSV vaccine is approved for pregnant individuals between 32 and 36 weeks gestational age to prevent serious RSV cases in infants, while both Pfizer and GSK vaccines are recommended for adults aged 60 and older.

These incidents highlight the need for vigilance and proper protocols in vaccine administration to prevent such errors in the future.