RSV Vaccine for Infants

Respiratory Syncytial Virus infection is the number one cause of hospitalization in infants.  It causes infection of the lungs that results in wheezing, mucous, coughing, and trouble breathing.  It’s really awful, and we pediatricians dread it.

For the second year, there is a vaccination to protect against serious infections from RSV.  Nirsevimab is an injection of monoclonal antibodies that do not activate the immune system like typical vaccines.  The antibodies are injected, and they stay in the body for several months to fight RSV if it shows up.  This vaccine is 80% effective at preventing lung infection from RSV and 80% effective at preventing hospitalization from it.  Anecdotally, our office was pleasantly surprised at how little RSV disease we saw last winter.

The majority of the time pregnant mothers have been getting their version of the RSV vaccination (Abrysvo), which if given more than 14 days before birth, provides enough protection against RSV that the newborn does not need to get the Nirsevimab injection.  Those infants whose mothers did not get RSV vaccination can get Nirsevimab once up until age 8 months.  Kids between 8 months and 19 months who have CF, immunocompromise, or chronic lung disease can get it too.

We strongly recommend giving your baby this protection.

To learn more, visit the CDC website at:

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/rsv/hcp/child.html