WHO’s recommendations to protect infants against RSV

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its initial guidelines pertaining to vaccine formulations intended to safeguard infants against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This virus is implicated in approximately 100,000 fatalities and over 3.6 million hospitalizations annually among children under the age of five worldwide. A disproportionate number, constituting ninety-seven percent, of childhood RSV-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income nations, where access to adequate healthcare is constrained. The guidelines, documented in the Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER), delineate WHO’s recommendations for a maternal vaccine, administered to pregnant individuals during the third trimester to confer protection to their newborns, and a long-acting monoclonal antibody, administered to newborns from birth, immediately before, or during the RSV season. As stated by Dr. Kate O’Brien, Director of WHO’s Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biological Products, these vaccine products have the potential to significantly decrease both hospital admissions and mortality rates, particularly among neonates. While RSV typically manifests as mild symptoms resembling the common cold, it can precipitate severe complications in infants, young children, the elderly, and individuals with weakened immune systems or pre-existing health conditions.