Government considering providing vaccine to protect babies from respiratory syncytial virus
Like the common cold, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is highly contagious. It is spread through airborne respiratory droplets and contact with contaminated surfaces. RSV infection is often difficult to distinguish from the common cold. This is because it has similar symptoms and typically clears up without medical intervention.
However, in some cases, it can become serious enough to need medical care or even a hospital stay, especially for babies under six months old, who are most vulnerable. Severe illness typically affects the lower respiratory tract and can lead to bronchiolitis or pneumonia, which can cause difficulty breathing. Babies who are hospitalised may need extra help, such as oxygen to help them breathe, fluids through a drip to keep them hydrated, and in serious cases, a machine to help them breathe.
RSV is a major cause of illness and death in children under five, especially in the first six months of life in low- and middle-income countries.
A recent global study estimated that in 2019, RSV was responsible for just over 100,000 deaths in children under five. This made up 2% of all deaths in this age group, and 3.6% of deaths in babies aged 28 days to six months. Nearly half of all RSV-related deaths occurred in babies under six months, and 97% of these deaths were in low- and middle-income countries.
A new vaccine provides infants with significant protection against severe RSV disease. It is given to pregnant women sometime during their third trimester of pregnancy (from week 28 to birth). Protective antibodies elicited by the vaccine are transferred from the mother to the foetus across the placenta.
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