The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued its technical report alongside the policy statement for the 2026-27 RSV season, and the eligibility rules are the part to carry into clinic. All infants younger than 8 months born during or entering their first RSV season should be immunised — unless the infant has documented protection from vaccination given during the pregnancy. Infants and children aged 8 through 19 months who are at high risk of severe RSV disease and entering their second RSV season should also be immunised, and the report sets out evidence supporting an expansion of which children count as high risk for that second-season dose.
The conditional wording in the first group is where errors happen. 'Documented' means documented: a mother's recollection of a vaccine in pregnancy, or an antenatal record that is not in front of you, is not documentation, and an infant whose maternal protection cannot be confirmed falls back into the immunise group. Building that check into the newborn or first-visit proforma is more reliable than relying on it being asked.
The report also covers the practical layer — available products, their formulations, and coadministration with other immunisations — which matters because the commonest reason a seasonal product is missed is a visit at which something else was being given. Note that this is an AAP recommendation for the US season and product set. Indian availability, cost and the position of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics differ, and the eligibility logic here should not be transplanted without checking what is actually obtainable locally.
- Immunise every infant under 8 months entering their first RSV season unless maternal vaccination protection is documented
- Treat undocumented maternal vaccination as absent — recollection is not a record
- Identify high-risk 8- to 19-month-olds before the season starts, not at the visit
- Check coadministration with other due immunisations so a seasonal product is not deferred by default
- This is US guidance; confirm product availability and current Indian Academy of Paediatrics advice before applying it here
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