EPA
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 22:35
The European Medicines Agency EMA has approved a vaccine against the RS virus. The drug Abrysvo, made by producer Pfizer, can be given to pregnant women. Their baby is then protected for six months after birth.
The arrival of the vaccine is seen by doctors as a breakthrough. In the Netherlands, thousands of children with the RS virus end up in hospital every year, of whom 150 to 200 babies are in intensive care. Worldwide, an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 children die from it each year.
The fact that the vaccine has now been approved marks a turning point in the fight against the virus, says pediatrician and infectious disease specialist Louis Bont of UMC Utrecht. He did research into the effectiveness of the vaccine. “This is going to prevent a lot of hospitalizations every year.”
The figures speak for themselves, he calculates. “One in 56 healthy babies in the Netherlands is admitted to hospital due to an infection with the RS virus, which is a very high number.”
The RS virus is a respiratory infection caused by the so-called respiratory syncytial virus. Every winter there is a peak in the number of infections with the RS virus. Symptoms of an infection are nasal colds, coughing and wheezing.
As a result, babies drink less. Parents are advised to go to the doctor immediately in case of cold complaints in the first month of the baby’s life. The RS virus is the second leading cause of death in infants worldwide, after malaria.
With the vaccine that has now been approved, the pregnant woman is vaccinated, after which the antibodies produced by the mother are transferred to the baby via the placenta. In this way, infants are well protected in their first vulnerable months.
This vaccine can also prevent serious infections in elderly people with poor health, who can get flu-like symptoms and respiratory infections from the RS virus.
Another vaccine against the RS virus has already been approved. In addition, newborn babies receive the shot, which protects them against a serious infection for six months.
This vaccine will save the lives of many children.
Louis Bont, pediatrician and infectious disease specialist
The next step is for the vaccine to be included in the National Immunization Program so that it is accessible to everyone. The Health Council must first advise the government on this. “I am convinced that one of these two vaccines will be included in the National Immunization Program,” says Bont. “That ruling will come in the first months of 2024.” The vaccine will therefore not be used en masse next winter.
Bont explains why that is not possible right away. “The Health Council must see how it fits into our vaccination program. Moreover, there are two options: an injection in the mother or an injection in the child. Both have advantages and disadvantages. The costs must also be considered.”
In his opinion, both vaccines are very safe, serious side effects are not known. “Every vaccine has side effects, such as redness at the injection site, but with both the pregnancy vaccine and the baby vaccine you can really say that there is a safe immunization.”
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has bought the rights to the vaccine and wants to produce it for and in developing countries, something that Bont is excited about. “In this way you can really prevent a lot of mortality in the world. So many children are dying. This vaccine will save the lives of many children,” he said earlier.
2023-07-21 20:35:17
#vaccination #virus #approved #prevent #admissions
