3 minute read
The Latest RSV News ...and it's GOOD
WRITTEN BY DR. IDZERDA
Respiratory illness season is in full swing, and families across our region have been hearing about RSV recently. We have good news about the ways to decrease the risk of this potentially serious illness.
Before we get to that, though, a little bit of background on the illness helps to understand what we’re dealing with. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is one of the many cold viruses that circulate every winter. Knowing the symptoms is an important step in dealing with this often severe virus. For starters, it tends to cause a notably runny nose and a deep, chesty cough. While it can come with a fever, that’s not always the case. People never become fully immune to this illness. With testing for RSV available, we also know that the elderly can still get severe RSV, especially if they have lung diseases or other underlying conditions. In children, RSV tends to be the most severe in the first year of life and is one of the leading reasons for hospitalizations in the winter months for infants. Toddlers can still have severe symptoms as well. As children get older, cases tend to be milder, but can still cause asthma in sensitive children. In Montana, RSV season typically runs from
December to March, but in recent years it has been happening throughout the year. So far this year, cases appear to be following their typical winter pattern.
So, what is the good news? First, we have an RSV vaccine. Right now, the vaccine is only approved for adults. It has been approved for pregnant women and is recommended later in pregnancy to help prevent mothers from getting RSV and passing it to their babies. The vaccine boosts the mother’s immunity, providing antibodies for the baby, lessening the disease’s severity if the infant becomes infected. The vaccine is also recommended for older adults, typically for those over the age of 60. Studies are ongoing about whether this can be used in children and infants, but as of now, it has not been approved.
Second, we’ve seen a new medication called Beyfortus, which gives us another way to protect some of our youngest patients from severe illness. An antibody shot given to infants 8 months and younger to prevent RSV, it is typically given one time in the fall for the upcoming winter season. The singledose Beyfortus is a new formulation of an established treatment called Synagis, which needed to be given monthly in RSV season. It was expensive and was only covered for children with certain severe health issues. Fortunately, we can now offer Beyfortus to all children within the recommended age range. This should lower the chance of hospitalization for infants and make RSV illness less severe for infants who receive this shot.
Right now, there is a national shortage of Beyfortus, but we are slowly beginning to get this shot in. If your infant is under 9 months of age, discuss this medication with your pediatrician.
With the availability of the vaccine to some adult patients and Beyfortus to some of our youngest, we’ve seen incredible developments in our ability to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our population from RSV. This helps prevent illness, decreases its severity if an infection happens and helps prevent others from catching it.
