Boosting RSV Vaccine Uptake Among Hispanic and Black Seniors

In a world where new vaccines promise to shield vulnerable populations from respiratory outbreaks, the development of the RSV vaccine represents a landmark achievement. Yet, the daunting task remains: ensuring equitable distribution and widespread acceptance. The narrative of overcoming vaccine resistance is as complex as creating the vaccine itself.

Carina Marquez, an associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, has long championed preventative care. Her excitement was palpable when health authorities in the US and Europe approved the first RSV vaccines. These vaccines are critical tools to decrease the thousands of annual hospitalizations and deaths due to respiratory syncytial virus, yet they are only effective if they reach those most in need. “It’s really important to make sure that people have equal access,” Marquez insists, highlighting an urgent issue. “Inequities in access result in inequities in hospitalizations and deaths.”

Currently, the United States has three vaccines available: GSK’s Arexvy, Moderna’s mRESVIA for older adults, and Pfizer’s Abrysvo, also approved for pregnant women. However, alarming disparities in vaccine uptake, especially among Hispanic and Black seniors, threaten the potential success of these life-saving measures. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 19 percent of Hispanic individuals aged 75 or older have received the RSV vaccine, compared to 35 percent of white seniors.

Marquez draws from her observations during the Covid-19 pandemic, where disparities in vaccine confidence exacerbated health outcomes for Latino and Black communities. Limited research exists on racial disparities in RSV infections, yet early studies suggest that Latino, Black, and Native Americans experience RSV at younger ages than white Americans. “The time to act is now,” Marquez emphasizes, aware of the trust issues surrounding new vaccines post-Covid.

October marks the beginning of Marquez’s five-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health, aimed at encouraging RSV vaccination among Latinos in San Francisco. Her initial research indicates interest in the vaccine but also a substantial demand for more information.

Understanding and addressing specific concerns around RSV vaccines will be key, according to Diane Havlir, chief of the infectious diseases division at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, who collaborates with Marquez. Havlir stresses, “Vaccine uptake is most effective when it is tailored and provided in the context of cultural norms and beliefs.”

The study will use surveys to collect demographic information, examining factors such as language, immigration status, insurance coverage, and sources of health information. Marquez theorizes that older Latino adults are more likely to trust health information from personal networks—like family and community organizations—rather than social media. This study aims to determine whether familial relationships, such as a grandchild encouraging their grandparents, could improve vaccination rates.

As the research unfolds, Marquez and Havlir are optimistic about uncovering effective strategies to increase RSV vaccine uptake among Latino elders. The challenge is not just scientific but social—a reminder that advancing public health requires as much insight into cultural dynamics as it does into biological sciences.