A new RSV vaccine is approved in the United States to help prevent infection in at-risk infants and young children.
(HealthDay News) – Doctors are seeing an increase in severe cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among young children in Florida and Georgia, U.S. health officials warned Tuesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent an advisory to doctors, noting that regional increases generally predict the beginning of the RSV season, “with an increase in cases that extends north and west in the next 2-3 months.
”Respiratory syncytial virus infections can be quite serious in young children, causing up to 300 deaths in children under 5 years of age each year,” according to the CDC. It is also blamed for nearly 2 million doctor visits and 80,000 hospitalizations in young children.
Doctors are seeing an increase in severe cases of respiratory syncytial virus
Virus-related hospitalizations in Georgia increased from 2 per 100,000 children ages 4 and younger to 7 per 100,000 between Aug. 5 and Aug. 19, according to the CDC. The majority of these hospitalizations were in infants.
A new RSV vaccine called Beyfortus (nirsevimab) has been approved in the United States to help prevent infection in at-risk infants and young children. The monoclonal antibody is intended for infants under 8 months of age.
Children at risk can receive a second dose up to about one and a half years of age. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also approved an RSV vaccine for pregnant women, intended to protect their newborns during the first six months of life.
”Respiratory syncytial virus infections can be quite serious in young children, causing up to 300 deaths in children under 5 years of age each year,” according to the CDC.
More information: The National Library of Medicine has more information about RSV.
Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health advisory, September 5, 2023.
2023-09-08 12:11:15
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