New Tools Against Old Enemies: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in Older Adults. A Narrative Review

Introduction: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) significantly impacts the ageing population. Having been detected decades ago, there are now new health strategies that can optimise its control in this group. Community pharmacists should be trained in this approach to improve their intervention and contribute to better health outcomes. Material and methods: Non-systematic review of literature in English and/or Spanish, open access, published between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2024 in PubMed and Google Scholar. The aim is to contribute to the training of community pharmacists on this disease and its impact on the ageing population, considering preventive and therapeutic tools for its control. Titles, keywords and abstracts were analysed before accessing the articles. Consensus documents and relevant bibliographic references were also reviewed. Results: 63 articles and one consensus document on community pharmacist involvement in the RSV approach were identified. Conclusions: This narrative review synthesizes the available evidence on the burden of RSV in older adults and the potential role of community pharmacies in addressing it. It identifies a clear need for detection, referral, and prevention strategies from the pharmacy setting, as well as the integration of community pharmacists into public health programs. This work constitutes a useful starting point for future systematic reviews and applied research. Continuing education for pharmacists is reinforced as a key element for the effective implementation of Pharmaceutical Care Services.