RS virus infection in small children is preventable with an antibody

Nirsevimab is a long-acting antibody that is given as a single intramuscular injection like a vaccine, although it is not a vaccine. The injection is very safe to administer and has already been used extensively in several European countries, where it has prevented 80-90 per cent of hospitalisations caused by the RS virus.

The product provides a child with good protection against a serious RS virus infection for the entire winter epidemic period.

– In Ostrobothnia, Nirsevimab is given to newborns in the maternity hospital before going home and to all children under three months of age in connection with regular paediatric consultation visits, says Lisa Kulppi, Chief Physician of the Paediatric ward.

In addition, nirsevimab is offered to children under 1 year of age who are in certain at-risk groups for severe RSV infection. Nirsevimab is free for target groups.

If a mother has received the RS virus vaccine during the pregnancy period, then the baby does not need a nirsevimab injection.

RSV is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infection requiring hospitalisation in children under 1 year of age

The usual symptoms of RSV are a runny nose, cough, mild fever, poor eating, mucus, difficulty breathing and, in the smallest babies, sometimes apneas.

The RS virus is the most common cause of respiratory tract infections in young children worldwide. About 2 per cent of all children born have to be hospitalised during their first year of life due to the RS virus. Treatment is symptomatic, such as supporting breathing and eating. About 25 per cent of hospitalised children under the age of one month need intensive care, and 15 per cent of those under the age of three months need intensive care.