Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of severe lung infections in young children globally, resulting in approximately 100,000 deaths each year among children under the age of five.
Alarmingly, 97 per cent of these deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.
Although RSV can infect people of all ages, “it is especially harmful to infants, particularly those born prematurely,” said Kate O’Brien from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Around half of all RSV-related deaths occur in babies younger than six months.
New immunisation products
On Friday, WHO issued recommendations for two new immunisation tools: a maternal vaccine, administered to pregnant women in their third trimester to protect their newborns; and a long-acting antibody injection for infants, which begins to protect within a week of administration and lasts for at least five months.
Considering the global burden of severe RSV illness in infants, WHO recommends that all countries adopt either the maternal vaccine or the antibody injection as part of their national immunisation strategies.
“These RSV immunisation products can transform the fight against severe RSV disease, dramatically reduce hospitalisations and deaths, and ultimately save many infant lives worldwide,” said Ms O’Brien.
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