How do new mRNA vaccines protect against diseases like RSV?

New mRNA vaccines help our body learn how to fight off diseases like RSV by giving it a clue about what the disease looks like.

Imagine you're playing hide and seek with your friends, but you don’t know where they are hiding. You need a hint to find them faster next time. That’s kind of like what mRNA vaccines do, they give our body a hint about the shape of a germ called RSV.

The vaccine sends a special message into your body, made up of mRNA, which is like a tiny instruction book. This message tells your cells to make a copy of a part of RSV, kind of like drawing a picture of it on paper. Once your body has that copy, it learns how to recognize and fight off real RSV germs if they come around later.

It’s like practicing for a game, the more you practice, the better you get at winning. So when you actually meet RSV, your body is ready to say, “Hey, I’ve seen you before!” and stop it from making you sick.