Jul 22, 2023 at 8:36 AMUpdate: 13 hours ago
The European medicines agency EMA has approved a new vaccine against the RS virus. The drug can be administered to pregnant women, protecting their baby for up to six months after birth. Experts call the vaccine a breakthrough.
What is the RS virus?
The RS virus is a cold virus that mainly leads to coughing and cold complaints in most children. A small number of young children become very ill and have to be hospitalized. Very occasionally, babies die from the effects of the virus.
The Abrysvo vaccine, developed by Pfizer, is the first RS vaccine to use so-called ‘passive immunization’, which means that the mother is not vaccinated, but the baby itself.
Doctors call the vaccine a breakthrough in the fight against the RS virus. Every year thousands of children still end up in hospital with an RS infection, of whom 150 to 200 are in intensive care.
Louis Bont, pediatrician and infectious disease specialist at UMC Utrecht, says to the NOS that the new Abrysvo vaccine will be a turning point in the fight against the RS virus. According to him, the drug will prevent many infections.
The fact that the European Medicines Agency has now given the green light does not mean that the vaccine will also be used immediately in the Netherlands. The drug must first be included in the National Immunization Programme. The government will consult the Health Council on this. According to Bont, the verdict will take place in the first months of 2024.
The RS virus suddenly appeared in the Netherlands in the summer of 2021. At its peak, this led to hundreds of infections per week. Last winter, the highest peak in the number of infections in years took place, but since then the RS virus has been on its way back.
2023-07-22 06:36:00
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