Tag: RSV

Categories : Obstetrics & Gynaecology VaccinesTags :

RSV Vaccination of Pregnant Mothers Reduces Infant Hospitalisations by 72%

On By ModernMedia
Source: Pixabay CC0

Researchers found the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, introduced across the UK in late summer 2024, led to a 72% reduction in babies hospitalised with the virus if the pregnant parent was vaccinated.

The findings, published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, are the first to show the real-world effectiveness of the vaccine during pregnancy in the UK.

Uptake of the jab among those who are pregnant could help to limit the number of sick babies each winter, reducing hospital pressures, experts say. 

Virus protection

RSV is a common virus that causes coughs and colds but can lead to a severe lung infection called bronchiolitis, which can be dangerous in babies, with some requiring admission to intensive care. The virus is the main infectious cause of hospitalisation for babies in the UK and globally.

Receiving the vaccine during pregnancy helps to protect both parent and baby. Antibodies produced by the parent in response to the vaccine are passed to the foetus, providing protection from severe RSV for the first six months after birth.

Hospital admissions

The research team, led by the Universities of Edinburgh and Leicester, recruited 537 babies across England and Scotland who had been admitted to hospital with severe respiratory disease in the winter of 2024-2025, the first season of vaccine implementation. 391 of the babies tested positive for RSV. 

Parents of babies who did not have RSV were two times more likely to have received the vaccine before delivery than the parents of RSV-positive babies – 41% compared with 19%.

Vaccinate early

Receiving the vaccine more than 14 days before delivery offered a higher protective effect, with a 72% reduction in hospital admissions compared with 58% for infants whose pregnant parent was vaccinated at any time before delivery. 

Experts recommend getting vaccinated as soon as possible from 28 weeks of pregnancy to provide the best protection, as this allows more time for the parent to generate and pass on protective antibodies to the baby, but the jab can be given up to birth.

With the availability of an effective RSV vaccine shown to significantly reduce the risk of hospitalisation in young infants in the UK, there is an excellent opportunity for pregnant women to get vaccinated and protect themselves and their infants from RSV bronchiolitis this coming winter.

Dr Thomas Williams, Institute for Regeneration and Repair, Paediatric Consultant at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People

Improve uptake

Previous research has found that only half of expectant parents in England and Scotland are currently receiving the RSV vaccine, despite its high success at preventing serious illness.

The findings highlight the importance of raising awareness of the availability and effectiveness of the new vaccine to help protect babies, experts say.

Source: The University of Edinburgh

Categories : Healthcare Politics and Regulations Respiratory DiseasesTags :

WHO Requests Information on Respiratory Illness Cluster in Northern China

On By ModernMedia

The World Health Organization (WHO) noted an upsurge of unidentified pneumonia-like respiratory illnesses among children in Northern China, and asked China for more information. This is significant as previous outbreaks of severe respiratory illnesses have started out in this fashion, but such WHO requests for more information on disease clusters are routine as part of its monitoring. No “unusual or novel pathogens” have been found, according to China, which attributed it to an increase in multiple pathogens and the lifting of COVID restrictions.

Earlier this month, China’s National Health Commission reported a nationwide increase in respiratory disease incidence, mostly among children. This increase was attributed to lifting of COVID restrictions and the arrival of the cold season, and due to circulating known pathogens including Mycoplasma pneumonia and RSV, which are known to affect children more than adults.

On 22 November 2023, the WHO identified media and ProMED reports about clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children’s hospitals in Beijing, Liaoning and other places in China. The WHO requested from China additional epidemiologic and clinical information, as well as lab results from these cases and data about recent trends in circulating respiratory pathogens.

The WHO held a teleconference with Chinese health authorities and received data indicating an increase in outpatient consultations and hospital admissions of children due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia since May, and RSV, adenovirus and influenza virus since October. Some of these increases are earlier in the season than usual, but not unexpected given the lifting of COVID restrictions, as similarly experienced in other countries. No changes in the disease presentation were reported by the Chinese health authorities, who said no unusual or novel pathogens or unusual clinical presentations had been detected, but only the general increase in respiratory illnesses by known pathogens. Local hospitals had not been overloaded by new cases.

Risk assessment

In the current outbreak of respiratory illness, the reported symptoms are common to several respiratory diseases and, as of now, at the present time, Chinese surveillance and hospital systems report that the clinical manifestations are caused by known pathogens in circulation. M. pneumoniae is a common respiratory pathogen and a common cause of paediatric pneumonia, and is readily treated with antibiotics.

China has stepped up its influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) sentinel surveillance system since mid-October, including for M. pneumoniae.

There is limited detailed information available to fully characterize the overall risk of these reported cases of respiratory illness in children. However, due to the arrival of the winter season, the increasing trend in respiratory illnesses is expected; co-circulation of respiratory viruses may increase burden on health care facilities.

According to surveillance data reported to WHO’s FluNet and published by the National Influenza Centre in China, ILI was above usual levels for this time of year and increasing in the northern provinces. Influenza detections were predominantly A(H3N2) and B/Victoria lineage viruses.

WHO advice

The WHO advice was for people in China to take measures against respiratory illnesses, including vaccines, masking and social distancing. It also does not recommend any specific measures for travellers to China.

Source: WHO

Categories : Diseases, Syndromes and ConditionsTags :

RSV Easier to Inactivate than Many Other Viruses

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Unsplash

Every year, respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV) cause countless respiratory infections worldwide. For infants, young children and people with pre-existing conditions, the virus can be life-threatening and so clinicians are always on the look-out for ways to reduce infections. New research published in the Journal of Hospital Infection shows that, when used correctly, alcohol-based hand sanitisers and commercially available surface disinfectants provide good protection against transmission of the virus via surfaces.

Some viruses are known to remain infectious for a long time on surfaces. To determine this period for RSV, the Ruhr-University Bochum virology team examined how long the virus persists on stainless steel plates at room temperature. “Even though the amount of infectious virus decreased over time, we still detected infectious viral particles after seven days,” says Dr Toni Luise Meister. “In hospitals and medical practices in particular, it is therefore essential to disinfect surfaces on a regular basis.” Five surface disinfectants containing alcohol, aldehyde and hydrogen peroxide were tested and found to effectively inactivate the virus on surfaces.

RSV is easier to inactivate than some other viruses

Hand sanitisers recommended by the WHO also showed the desired effect. “An alcohol content of 30 percent was sufficient: we no longer detected any infectious virus after hand disinfection,” said Toni Luise Meister. RSV is thus easier to render harmless than some other viruses, such as mpox (formerly monkeypox) virus or hepatitis B virus.

Still, most infections with RSV are transmitted from one person to another, via airborne droplets. The risk of contracting the virus from an infected person decreases if that person rinses their mouth for 30 seconds with a commercial mouthwash. The lab tests showed that three mouthwashes for adults and three of four mouthwashes designed specifically for children reduced the amount of virus in the sample to below detectable levels.

“If we assume that these results from the lab can be transferred to everyday life, we are not at the mercy of seasonal flu and common cold, but can actively prevent infection,” concludes Toni Luise Meister. “In addition to disinfection, people should wash their hands regularly, maintain a proper sneezing and coughing etiquette, and keep their distance from others when they’re experiencing any symptoms.”

Source: Ruhr-University Bochum

Categories : Diseases, Syndromes and Conditions PaediatricsTags :

Azithromycin in Infant RSV Does Not Prevent Wheezing, May be Harmful

On By ModernMedia
Photo by William-Fortunato on Pexels

A recent study on the impact of the antibiotic azithromycin during severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis overwhelmingly supports current bronchiolitis guidelines in the US, which recommend against antibiotics during acute bronchiolitis.

The anti-inflammatory properties of azithromycin can be beneficial in some chronic lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis. With that in mind, researchers investigated its potential to prevent future recurrent wheezing among infants hospitalised with RSV. With such babies at increased risk of developing asthma later in childhood, the scientists hoped to find a therapy to reduce this risk.

The study, published in NEJM Evidence, also provided considerable evidence that severe RSV bronchiolitis in early life increases the likelihood of repeated wheezing episodes in early childhood, often leading to asthma.

“The major message is that antibiotics don’t have a role, either in the management of acute RSV bronchiolitis or to reduce subsequent wheezing,” said co-corresponding author Leonard Bacharier, MD, professor of Pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. “As a matter of fact, we found that antibiotics in general in our study of severe RSV bronchiolitis increased the risk of subsequent recurrent wheezing over the following two to four years.”

“We need to discourage the use of this therapy, as it is potentially harmful,” he said.

The study examined children hospitalised with RSV bronchiolitis during a single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

An earlier pilot trial enrolled 40 infants hospitalised with RSV bronchiolitis where treatment with azithromycin, and this showed a reduction in the likelihood of recurrent wheeze over the following year.

In the current study, 200 otherwise healthy 1- to 18-month-old children who were hospitalised for RSV bronchiolitis were prospectively randomised to either oral azithromycin or a placebo for 14 days. The group was broadly representative of the population of children who experience severe RSV bronchiolitis.

Antibiotics are sometimes used in the treatment of RSV because co-occurring complications lead medical teams to prescribe them, thinking there is a bacterial component to the illness, Prof Bacharier said.
“This condition can be managed by supportive care – oxygen, fluids, observation, time and love,” he stressed. “If a clinician is going to use an antibiotic in the setting of RSV bronchiolitis, there needs to be a very strong rationale for doing so. There is substantial evidence to suggest that children who receive antibiotics early in life are at an increased risk of developing asthma, and this study is consistent with that evidence.”

Source: EurekAlert!