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SALT LAKE CITY — As many as 80,000 children under 5 are hospitalized each year due to RSV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Respiratory syncytial virus is a common respiratory virus that affects 90% of kids before their second birthday and can cause severe lung infections.
"RSV really does impact young infants, especially throughout the whole winter season," said Dr. Kevin Chen, a pediatric hospitalist with University of Utah Health and Primary Children's Hospital.
To prevent RSV, pregnant mothers can receive the Pfizer vaccine Abrysvo between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. Babies younger than 8 months — and those 8 to 19 months who are at increased risk for severe RSV — can receive a monoclonal antibody called nirsevimab. The shot was approved last year by the FDA and is at least 80% effective in preventing hospitalization in infants.
"It really is such a game changer in that it really provides this protection that we didn't have before," Chen said.
A mom of two, Courtney Christenson, decided to get her youngest son, Creed, the RSV immunization. Creed was born 11 weeks early.
"His lungs were not as developed as they would've been if he came full-term," she said. "I just felt like there was no reason not to give him all the armor like I can."
Christensen said her son got his shot last RSV season. It was a quick and easy visit to the pediatrician, she said, and he had no side effects. He's now a healthy 20-month-old.
"If we have these preventative measures, why not take them," she said. "For me and my family, that's what I chose was the best for my son. It wasn't worth the risk of letting him go through these winters without something to help him."
"The idea that we can get all these kids protection is such a great and novel idea that I think will hopefully cause parents to not be so stressed during the winter season and allow them to really spend time with their young infants, which is a time that is precious," Chen said.
Nirsevimab is available now through March. If you are a parent of a young child, you can talk to their pediatrician about the shot.
