TL;DR
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A CDC analysis of 18,301 adults hospitalized with RSV from 2014 to 2024 found that 8.6% died in the hospital or within 30 days after discharge. Of those deaths, 467 occurred after discharge to somewhere other than hospice; the study does not establish that RSV caused those deaths.
A CDC analysis of 18,301 adults hospitalized with RSV from 2014 to 2024 found that 8.6% died in hospital or within 30 days after discharge, including 467 people who died after leaving hospital for a destination other than hospice. The preliminary findings, presented at the IDWeek meeting, highlight deaths in the month after discharge, but do not establish that RSV itself caused them.
Researchers used data from the CDC’s Respiratory Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network (RESP-NET), which tracks laboratory-confirmed influenza, COVID-19 and RSV hospitalizations in 14 states. The analysis identified 1,565 deaths during an RSV hospitalization or within 30 days of discharge. Of these, 812 occurred in hospital and 753 occurred after discharge. Among the post-discharge deaths, 286 patients had been discharged to hospice; 467 had not.
CDC physician Michael Melgar, who presented the findings, said the group discharged somewhere other than hospice was of particular concern because those patients may have gone home or to another level of care without being expected to die within a month. The results were described as preliminary. The study reported that the overall share who died during hospitalization or within 30 days stayed within a range of 7.4% to 9.7% across the seasons studied.
Most patients who died in hospital or shortly after discharge were 65 or older, and 89% had at least one underlying medical condition. Nearly half had been admitted to an intensive care unit and 29.1% received invasive mechanical ventilation. Among people who died after discharge, 85.8% were at least 65, compared with 77.1% of those who died in hospital. ICU admission and ventilation were less common in the post-discharge group, a pattern that does not by itself explain why those patients died.
The Risk May Continue After Discharge
The findings draw attention to a period that can receive less focus than the hospitalization itself: the first 30 days after discharge. The 467 deaths among people discharged somewhere other than hospice suggest that some patients may remain medically vulnerable after leaving the hospital. The analysis does not show whether those deaths were preventable or caused by RSV, but it supports closer attention to patients’ needs and care plans during recovery.
Melgar said the results support stronger discharge planning and early follow-up for patients hospitalized with RSV. For clinicians and health systems, the data provide a reason to examine how patients’ symptoms, underlying conditions and follow-up arrangements are handled after discharge. The study does not test whether any particular follow-up approach reduces mortality.
The researchers also pointed to prevention. RSV vaccination for adults began in the 2023-2024 season; the source report cites vaccine effectiveness of 75% against RSV hospitalization. The CDC recommends a one-time dose of an FDA-licensed RSV vaccine for adults 75 and older and for adults ages 50 to 74 at increased risk of severe RSV. That guidance is separate from this analysis, which did not assess whether vaccination changed the reported death rates.
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Eight Seasons of RSV Surveillance
RSV can cause illness ranging from cold-like symptoms to severe lower respiratory disease requiring hospitalization. The CDC analysis covered eight RSV seasons between 2014 and 2024, using RESP-NET records and RSV-related diagnosis codes. It is a surveillance analysis of people hospitalized with RSV, not a trial designed to determine which treatments or follow-up measures prevent death.
The proportions remained relatively steady across seasons in the analysis. The reported share who died in hospital or within 30 days of discharge ranged from 7.4% in 2018-2019 to 9.7% in 2015-2016; it was 9.1% in both 2014-2015 and 2023-2024. Deaths after discharge to a place other than hospice ranged from 1.8% of hospitalized patients in 2022-2023 to 3.2% in 2019-2020.
Adult RSV vaccines were introduced during the final season included in the analysis. Melgar said investigators had not examined vaccination status among hospitalized patients in that season, so these data cannot show whether vaccination affected the findings.
“We think this latter category is the most concerning, as these patients were likely discharged home or to some higher level of care — but they were probably not expected to die within a month of the hospitalization with RSV infection.”
— Michael Melgar, CDC, presenting at IDWeek
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What the Mortality Figures Cannot Show
The analysis records deaths occurring during or after RSV-related hospitalizations, but does not establish that RSV caused each death. Some may have resulted from other illnesses or complications. The researchers also did not analyze vaccination status among hospitalized patients in the 2023-2024 season, so the data cannot determine whether vaccination affected mortality in that period.
RESP-NET covers hospitals in 14 states, and the results may not represent the entire United States. Reliance on clinician-directed testing may also have led to some hospitalizations being missed. The study does not explain why patients died after discharge, whether the deaths could have been prevented, or which discharge and follow-up practices might reduce risk.
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How Follow-Up Could Change
The findings were presented at IDWeek as preliminary results. The source report did not identify a date for a full publication or describe a planned intervention study. Further analysis would be needed to connect deaths to causes, compare outcomes by vaccination status, and assess whether particular discharge plans or early follow-up reduce risk.
For now, the researchers’ stated implications are to prioritize recommended RSV vaccination for eligible adults and strengthen discharge planning and early follow-up for patients hospitalized with RSV. The analysis offers a reason to pay attention to the post-discharge period, while leaving the effectiveness of those steps unmeasured.
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Key Questions
How many adults died after being hospitalized with RSV?
Among 18,301 adults hospitalized with RSV in the analysis, 1,565, or 8.6%, died in hospital or within 30 days after discharge. The study covered RSV seasons from 2014 to 2024.
How many died after discharge outside hospice?
Of 753 deaths within 30 days after discharge, 286 patients had been discharged to hospice and 467 had been discharged somewhere else. The latter group equaled 2.6% of all adults hospitalized with RSV in the analysis.
Does the study show that RSV caused those deaths?
No. The analysis counted deaths during or after RSV-related hospitalizations but could not determine whether RSV caused each death. Other conditions or complications may have contributed.
Did vaccination reduce deaths in the analysis?
The researchers did not examine vaccination status among hospitalized patients in the 2023-2024 season. The findings therefore do not show whether RSV vaccination changed the death rates reported in this analysis.
Who does the CDC recommend receive an RSV vaccine?
The CDC recommends a one-time dose of any of three FDA-licensed RSV vaccines for adults 75 and older, and for adults ages 50 to 74 at increased risk of severe RSV. People can consult a qualified health professional about individual vaccination decisions.
Source: rss
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