What Is Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in America?
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is one of the most common and widely circulating respiratory pathogens in the United States, affecting millions of Americans across every age group each year. It is a contagious virus that primarily targets the lungs and respiratory tract, typically causing cold-like symptoms in healthy adults but posing a serious, sometimes life-threatening risk to vulnerable populations — particularly infants under 12 months, young children, adults aged 65 and older, and individuals living with chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, or weakened immune systems. The virus spreads through respiratory droplets, direct contact with infected surfaces, and close person-to-person contact, making community transmission rapid and difficult to contain during peak season. In most regions of the United States, RSV season begins in the fall, peaks during winter, and tapers off in the spring, with Florida and southern states typically seeing an earlier onset and longer duration of activity compared to the rest of the country.
What makes RSV especially significant from a public health standpoint in 2026 is the growing convergence of surveillance data, newly expanded vaccine programs, and record-level disease burden tracking by agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For the first time in the 2024–2025 season, widespread availability of both a maternal RSV vaccine and a preventive monoclonal antibody for infants reshaped hospitalization patterns in meaningful ways — yet the overall burden on adults 65 and older remains deeply concerning. As of the week ending February 27, 2026, the CDC confirmed that RSV activity remains elevated in many areas of the country, with emergency department visits and hospitalizations among infants and children aged 4 years and younger still elevated above baseline. This article compiles the most current, verified US government data from CDC, MMWR, and related federal surveillance systems to give you the clearest picture available of RSV in America in 2026.
Interesting RSV Key Facts in the US 2026
| RSV Key Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| RSV is the #1 cause of infant hospitalization | Leading cause of hospitalization for babies in the US |
| RSV season peak | Peaked during the week ending December 21, 2024 (11.0% test positivity) |
| Season duration (2024–25) | Epidemic period spanned weeks ending November 9, 2024 through March 29, 2025 |
| Annual outpatient visits (children <5) | Approximately 2.1 million non-hospitalization outpatient visits per year |
| Annual child hospitalizations | 58,000–80,000 hospitalizations annually among children younger than 5 |
| Annual adult hospitalizations (50+) | 110,000–180,000 hospitalizations among adults 50 years and older |
| RSV-NET surveillance coverage | Covers 36.8 million people — approximately 10.8% of the US population |
| Infants under 3 months hospitalized | 2 to 3 out of every 100 infants under age 3 months are hospitalized with RSV each year |
| Most children infected by age 2 | Most children will have had RSV by the time they are 2 years old |
| Florida early season onset | Florida RSV season started as early as week 39 (ending September 28, 2024) |
| RSV-NET network size | Covers up to 170 counties in 14 states |
| Deaths concentrated in elderly | 82.1% of RSV-associated deaths occurred in adults aged 65 years and older |
Source: CDC, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; CDC MMWR Vol. 75, No. 6, February 19, 2026; CDC RSV Surveillance page (cdc.gov/rsv), updated December 2025.
The facts laid out in this table reflect just how deeply respiratory syncytial virus is woven into the seasonal health burden of American communities. The sheer scale of the virus’s reach — from 2.1 million pediatric outpatient visits each year to hospitalizations that span from newborns to nursing home residents in their 80s — signals that RSV is far from a “minor cold virus” in terms of its systemic impact. Its predictable seasonal behavior, particularly the early arrival in the US South and Florida as early as late September, creates a rolling wave of illness that strains pediatric emergency departments and adult inpatient units each winter.
What stands out in 2026 is the sharp statistical picture the CDC has now built through its overlapping surveillance systems. The RSV-NET network, monitoring over 36.8 million Americans across 14 states, gives federal health officials enough data to detect hospitalization surges in real time and issue timely public health guidance. Yet even with all this infrastructure in place, the data confirm that the burden falls disproportionately on two ends of the age spectrum — the very young and the very old — making targeted prevention and vaccination strategies more critical than ever heading into each new season.
RSV Overall Disease Burden Statistics in the US 2026
| RSV Burden Metric (2024–2025 Season) | Estimated Range |
|---|---|
| Total estimated outpatient visits | 3.6 million – 6.5 million |
| Total estimated hospitalizations | 190,000 – 350,000 |
| Total estimated deaths | 10,000 – 23,000 |
| Total RSV-associated deaths recorded by NVSS | 672 deaths (provisional vital records data) |
| Deaths among adults aged 65 and older | 552 deaths (82.1%) of all RSV deaths in NVSS records |
| Deaths among adults aged 18–64 | 89 deaths (13.2%) |
| Deaths among children and adolescents <18 | 31 deaths (4.6%) |
| Season period for burden estimates | October 1, 2024 – May 3, 2025 |
Source: CDC MMWR, Respiratory Virus Activity — United States, July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2026;75(6):77–84. Published February 19, 2026.
The 2024–2025 RSV season burden data, as published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report in February 2026, underscores just how significant a public health threat this virus remains. An estimated 190,000 to 350,000 Americans were hospitalized due to RSV between October 2024 and May 2025, and between 10,000 and 23,000 people died from RSV-related illness during that period. These are not small numbers — they rival and in some demographic segments exceed the burden of many other well-known infectious diseases. The modeling-based estimates reflect the CDC’s recognition that raw surveillance counts alone would underestimate the true toll, since not every RSV case leads to a hospital visit or a confirmed diagnosis.
Among the deaths captured in provisional vital records, the data is stark and consistent with historical patterns: 82.1% of RSV-related deaths occurred in adults aged 65 and older, while children under 18 accounted for just 4.6% of RSV deaths despite being the most visible face of the disease due to their higher hospitalization rates. This tells an important public health story — RSV hospitalizes children at high rates, but it kills older Americans at a disproportionate scale. For every infant admitted to a pediatric unit, many more elderly adults face a longer, more complicated hospital stay that can end in death, especially for those with underlying cardiovascular or pulmonary conditions.
RSV Hospitalization Rates by Age Group in the US 2026
| Age Group | RSV-NET Hospitalization Rate (per 100,000) | NVSN Rate (per 100,000) |
|---|---|---|
| Infants aged 0–11 months | 1,116.7 (95% CI: 1,078.4–1,157.9) | 1,053.9 (95% CI: 949.0–1,159.0) |
| Children aged 12–23 months | 770.6 (95% CI: 743.1–800.3) | 647.5 (95% CI: 576.7–720.8) |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | 426.9 (95% CI: 366.6–510.8) | — |
| Adults aged 65–74 years | Elevated (lower than 75+ group) | — |
| Adults aged 18–64 years | Lower burden; data ongoing | — |
Source: CDC MMWR Vol. 75(6), February 19, 2026. RSV-NET and NVSN data, July 2024–June 2025 season.
The hospitalization rate data by age group is one of the most compelling pieces of evidence for understanding where RSV hits hardest in America in 2026. Infants aged 0 to 11 months carry the heaviest burden with a confirmed RSV-NET hospitalization rate of 1,116.7 per 100,000 — a number that reflects just how vulnerable the youngest Americans are to lower respiratory tract infections caused by this virus. Children aged 12 to 23 months follow with a rate of 770.6 per 100,000, making the first two years of life the highest-risk period for pediatric RSV-related hospitalization by a significant margin.
What is equally telling is the hospitalization rate for adults aged 75 and older at 426.9 per 100,000 — a rate that makes this age group the third most hospitalized demographic by RSV, behind only the two infant cohorts. This convergence of risk at the youngest and oldest ends of the age spectrum shapes the CDC’s entire prevention strategy around RSV in 2026, including targeted vaccine recommendations for adults 75 and older and antibody products for infants in their first RSV season. The data makes clear that any public health investment in RSV prevention that reaches these two age groups would generate the greatest reductions in hospitalization burden nationally.
RSV Infant Hospitalization Rate Reductions in the US 2026
| Metric | 2024–25 RSV Season vs. Pre-Pandemic (2018–20) |
|---|---|
| Infant (0–7 months) rate — RSV-NET | 8.5 per 1,000 children (vs. 15.0 per 1,000 in 2018–20) |
| Infant (0–7 months) rate — NVSN | 10.7 per 1,000 children (vs. 14.8 per 1,000 in 2018–20) |
| RSV-NET reduction (0–7 months) | 43% lower (95% CI: 40%–46%) than pre-pandemic seasons |
| NVSN reduction (0–7 months) | 28% lower (95% CI: 18%–36%) than pre-pandemic seasons |
| Infants 0–2 months — RSV-NET reduction | 52% lower (95% CI: 49%–56%) during peak hospitalization months |
| Infants 0–2 months — NVSN reduction | 45% lower (95% CI: 32%–57%) |
| Infant protection coverage (Feb 2025) | 66% of infants 0–7 months protected via maternal vaccine or nirsevimab |
| As of January 2026 — infant protection | 60.5% of infants <8 months protected (maternal immunization 7.6%; monoclonal antibody 52.9%) |
| Total infant RSV hospitalizations identified | 18,389 total in both networks combined (11,681 in 2018–20; 6,708 in 2024–25) |
Source: CDC MMWR Vol. 74(16):273–281, May 8, 2025. RSV-NET and NVSN data, October 2024–February 2025. CDC RSVVaxView Weekly Dashboard, updated February 25, 2026.
The 2024–2025 RSV season marked a turning point in the trajectory of infant hospitalizations in the United States. For the first time, both a maternal RSV vaccine (Abrysvo by Pfizer, recommended for pregnant women at 32–36 weeks gestation from September through January) and the long-acting monoclonal antibody nirsevimab (Beyfortus) were widely available to protect newborns and young infants. The result was dramatic: RSV-NET data showed a 43% drop in hospitalization rates among infants aged 0 to 7 months compared to pre-pandemic baseline seasons, while the newest infants — those aged 0 to 2 months — saw reductions as high as 52% during peak hospitalization periods from December through February. These are among the most significant single-season reductions in a vaccine-preventable infant illness ever documented by the CDC.
As of January 2026, CDC’s RSVVaxView data showed that 60.5% of infants under 8 months born since April 1, 2025 were protected against RSV — with 52.9% receiving nirsevimab and 7.6% protected through maternal immunization alone. While this coverage level is meaningful, it also reveals that nearly 4 in 10 eligible infants are still not protected heading into peak RSV season, which public health officials identify as a key area for continued outreach and access improvement. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) also approved clesrovimab as an additional monoclonal antibody option in August 2025, and as of December 31, 2025, routine use of the older product palivizumab was discontinued in favor of these newer, longer-acting prevention products.
RSV Vaccination Coverage in Adults in the US 2026
| Adult RSV Vaccine Coverage Metric | Coverage Rate / Data Point |
|---|---|
| Adults 75+ ever vaccinated (as of Jan 2026) | 40.9% |
| Adults 50–74 at high risk — ever vaccinated (as of Feb 14, 2026) | 32.3% (95% CI: 30.5%–34.1%) |
| Medicare Part D beneficiaries 75+ vaccinated (by Nov 29, 2025) | 36.1% |
| Adults 60+ vaccinated in first two seasons (Aug 2023–Feb 2025) | 16.4% (approximately 12.8 million people) |
| Total RSV doses administered to adults 60+ (by March 1, 2025) | 14.4 million doses (CDC estimate based on IQVIA data) |
| Adults 60+ with ≥1 risk factor for severe RSV | More than 65% of adults aged 60+ have at least one risk factor |
| Adults 50–74 at high risk — reporting definite intent to vaccinate | 15.9% (95% CI: 11.2%–20.6%) |
| Adults 75+ — reporting definite intent to vaccinate | 6.4% |
| HCP recommendation rate for RSV vaccine (adults 75+) | 37.8% |
| HCP recommendation rate for RSV vaccine (adults 50–74 at high risk) | 36.2% |
Source: CDC RSVVaxView Weekly Dashboard, updated February 25, 2026; CDC RespVaxView Dashboard, updated February 20, 2026; PMC/PubMed — RSV vaccination uptake in US adults 60+, 2023–2025 seasons.
The adult RSV vaccination story in 2026 is one of meaningful but incomplete progress. As of January 2026, just 40.9% of adults aged 75 and older — the group at greatest risk of RSV-related death — reported ever receiving an RSV vaccine, and only 32.3% of adults aged 50 to 74 with high-risk health conditions had been vaccinated as of mid-February 2026. These numbers reflect a steady increase from the 16.4% coverage seen across the first two seasons of vaccine availability (2023 through early 2025), but they still fall significantly short of optimal protection levels for the most vulnerable older Americans. The CDC recommends a single dose of RSV vaccine for all adults 75 and older and for adults aged 50 to 74 with qualifying risk conditions such as chronic lung disease, heart disease, diabetes requiring insulin, cancer, or immunocompromised status.
A critical gap driving these low vaccination numbers is the healthcare provider recommendation rate — only 37.8% of adults 75 and older reported their provider had recommended the RSV vaccine, and the rate was similarly low at 36.2% for high-risk adults aged 50 to 74. This data point matters enormously because studies confirm that patients who receive a provider recommendation are vastly more likely to get vaccinated. With more than 65% of adults aged 60 and older having at least one documented risk factor for severe RSV disease, the mismatch between clinical risk and vaccination uptake represents one of the most pressing gaps in respiratory illness prevention in the United States heading into the 2025–2026 RSV season and beyond.
RSV Activity and Surveillance Status in the US 2026
| Surveillance Metric | Data / Status |
|---|---|
| RSV activity status (as of Feb 27, 2026) | Elevated in many areas; ED visits and hospitalizations elevated in children 0–4 years |
| RSV test positivity peak (2024–25 season) | 11.0% during week ending December 21, 2024 |
| Primary epidemic period (2024–25) | Weeks ending November 9, 2024 – March 29, 2025 |
| NREVSS system established | Since the 1980s — voluntary, lab-based surveillance network |
| 2025–26 RSV season CDC expectation | Similar number of hospitalizations as the 2024–25 season |
| NSSP emergency dept data | RSV elevated in children aged 0–4 years as of late-season Feb 2026 data |
| Earliest US RSV epidemic onset (2024–25) | Florida — week 39, ending September 28, 2024 |
| Next earliest RSV onset (2024–25) | South (HHS Region 6) — week ending October 5, 2024 |
| States with no available NSSP data | Guam, Missouri, and South Dakota |
| RSV ICD-10 death codes tracked | J12.1, J20.5, J21.0 (RSV-coded causes on death certificates) |
Source: CDC Respiratory Illnesses Data Channel, updated February 27, 2026; CDC MMWR Vol. 75(6), February 2026; CDC Surveillance of RSV page, updated December 2025.
The RSV surveillance infrastructure in the United States is among the most sophisticated in the world, built across multiple interlocking systems that together paint a granular picture of how the virus moves through the population. As of February 27, 2026, the CDC’s official respiratory illness update confirmed that RSV activity remains elevated in many areas of the country, with emergency department data showing persistent pressure particularly in pediatric age groups under 4 years. The 2025–2026 season was expected by the CDC to track closely to the prior season in terms of total peak hospitalizations across COVID-19, influenza, and RSV combined — meaning the public health burden remains substantial and ongoing as this article goes to press.
What makes the surveillance story especially important for 2026 is the geographic variation in RSV timing and intensity. Florida continues to experience the earliest RSV season onset in the continental US, with the 2024–25 epidemic beginning as early as the final week of September 2024. This geographic variation is not a minor footnote — it determines when healthcare systems in different regions need to ramp up testing, surge pediatric bed capacity, and push vaccination messaging to reach maximum coverage before community transmission peaks. The fact that RSV positivity hit 11.0% at its December 2024 peak, compared to nearly flat rates in summer months, illustrates the dramatic seasonal swing that public health planners must be prepared to manage with limited lead time every single year.
RSV High-Risk Groups and Clinical Characteristics in the US 2026
| High-Risk Group or Clinical Factor | Data / Status |
|---|---|
| Infants aged 0–11 months (RSV-NET hosp. rate) | 1,116.7 per 100,000 — highest RSV hospitalization rate of any group |
| Children aged 12–23 months (RSV-NET hosp. rate) | 770.6 per 100,000 |
| Adults aged 75+ (RSV-NET hosp. rate) | 426.9 per 100,000 |
| Deaths among adults 65+ (82.1% of all RSV deaths) | 82.1% of all RSV deaths occur in those aged 65 and older |
| Infants requiring hospitalization (under 3 months) | 2–3 out of every 100 infants under 3 months are hospitalized annually |
| Hospital care for admitted infants | May require oxygen, IV fluids, or mechanical ventilation |
| Adults 60+ with ≥1 RSV risk factor | Over 65% of Americans aged 60+ have at least one qualifying risk condition |
| Reported RSV outpatient visits (adults 60+) | Estimated 4.3 million symptomatic cases per year among adults aged 60+ |
| ICU admissions among adults 60+ | Approximately 31,000 ICU admissions per year among adults 60+ (historical estimates) |
| RSV subtype tracking | CDC tracks RSV subtypes via NVSN and state/local public health laboratories |
Source: CDC RSV in Infants and Young Children page (updated Feb 20, 2026); CDC MMWR Vol. 75(6), February 2026; PMC study — RSV vaccination uptake in adults 60+, 2023–2025 seasons.
Understanding who gets the sickest from RSV is central to understanding why the CDC dedicates such extensive resources to its surveillance and now its vaccination programs. The data is unambiguous — infants under 12 months face RSV hospitalization rates exceeding 1,100 per 100,000, a level that dwarfs even some of the most feared childhood illnesses in terms of sheer pediatric hospital admissions. Among the children who are admitted, the clinical course can be severe: oxygen supplementation, intravenous fluids, and mechanical ventilation are standard treatment modalities for critically ill RSV infants, and most require several days of inpatient care before they are stable enough for discharge.
On the adult side, the concentration of RSV mortality among Americans 65 and older — where 82.1% of all RSV deaths are recorded — underscores that this is not simply a childhood disease that spares grown-ups. Older adults, particularly those aged 75 and above, face hospitalization rates of 426.9 per 100,000, and for those with underlying conditions like congestive heart failure, COPD, or compromised immunity, RSV can trigger a cascade of clinical complications that become fatal. The historical estimate of 31,000 annual ICU admissions and approximately 15,000 deaths among adults aged 60 and older each year reflects a persistent, underappreciated mortality burden that has long flown under the radar compared to influenza — despite being comparable or worse in absolute death counts in certain age cohorts during severe seasons.
Disclaimer: The data reports published on The Global Files are sourced from publicly available materials considered reliable. While efforts are made to ensure accuracy, no guarantees are provided regarding completeness or reliability. The Global Files is not liable for any errors, omissions, or damages resulting from the use of these reports.