CDC says new treatment for infant RSV infections ‘highly effective’ in preventing hospitalization

Sam Sachs
·2 min read

Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a new treatment under review has shown promising results among infant patients.

As of March 7, the CDC said the latest data showed a long-acting monoclonal antibody treatment called nirsevimab had proven “highly effective in protecting infants from hospitalizations associated” with RSV.

The CDC said RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization of infants in the U.S., and recommended parents have their infants vaccinated against RSV using the infant nirsevimab if they did not get a maternal RSV shot during their pregnancy.

“Results show that nirsevimab was 90% effective at preventing RSV-associated hospitalization in infants during their first RSV season,” the CDC said.

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According to federal health officials, “RSV season starts in the fall and peaks in the winter, but the timing and severity of RSV season in a given community can vary from year to year.”

The CDC recommends monoclonal antibody treatments for infants, young children and pregnant mothers.

Specifically, infants younger than eight months old are recommended to get RSV vaccines if their mother did not receive a maternal vaccine, or if the mother did receive one but the child was born less than 14 days later.

Additionally, children with chronic lung disease who require medical support or with severe immunocompromise or cystic fibrosis are recommended for the RSV vaccine between the ages of eight to 19 months old, according to the CDC.

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For infants, symptoms of RSV include:

  • Irritability

  • Decreased activity

  • Eating or drinking less

  • Apnea (pauses in breathing for more than 10 seconds)

  • Potential for fever

In Georgia, 10 medical laboratories participate in RSV surveillance through the CDC’s National Enteric and Respiratory Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS), at in the following locations:

  • Bacon County Hospital, Athens, Ga.

  • Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, Atlanta, Ga.

  • Columbus Regional Hospital, Columbus, Ga.

  • Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), Columbus, Ga.

  • Georgia Public Health Laboratory, Decatur, Ga.

  • Medical Center of Central Georgia, Macon, Ga.

  • NE Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville, Ga.

  • Piedmont Athens Regional Center, Athens, Ga.

  • Stephens County Hospital, Toccoa, Ga.

  • West Georgia Medical Center, LaGrange, Ga.

While not specifically just for RSV, data from the CDC as of Feb. 24 showed the state of Georgia had an elevated level of respiratory illnesses, with the common ones being influenza, COVID-19 and RSV. Currently, the data for Georgia shows a “high” respiratory illness activity.

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