For anyone who has ever had a premature baby, you know the scary threat that looms over our newly home babies, especially in fall and winter months: RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). What seems to be nothing more than a common cold to you or me, but is potentially life threatening to newborns, most especially those born with premature lungs, and for those 60 and older. The thought of our babies having to return to the NICU or PICU because their premature lungs cannot handle this “cold” they’ve been passed through loving and unwitting friends or family members. We know all too well the monthly trips to the pediatrician for the Synagis injections to help them stay safe. And we know what it’s like when we have to worry about our subsequent babies that aren’t eligible for the medication but are still at risk of the virus.
We also may know about RSV because of our ailing elderly family members. They, too, are at risk of severe side effects and death from RSV. Well, we have gotten good news from the FDA! There are new vaccines available for late-preterm and term babies, and for those aged 60 and older, too! In an article written by The New England Journal of Medicine the statistics from the studies done on Nirsevimab, the newborn vaccine, was published and had some interesting findings!
The efficacy of the vaccine for lower respiratory infections seems to be 70.1%, according to the findings, and 77.3% in hospitalizations. Serious adverse events were reported in 6.8% of Nirsevimab recipients and in 7.3% of placebo recipients with only one of the study participants suffering from a grade 3 reaction. That being a macular (skin is not raised) rash 6 days after the injection that cleared up on its own. Dr A. Jorgensen, who shared her opinion on this with me, had this to say: “This just goes to show that newborns don’t like shots.”
There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of your baby getting RSV, which is great practice whether your baby has received any form of injection or vaccine or not. Things like not being around people who have cold or flu-like symptoms, hand washing, keeping toys and baby’s area clean and disinfected, and being vigilant during the colder months.
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