The first vaccination campaign for babies up to six months old against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes bronchiolitis, has been a success, according to health authorities. In Catalonia, vaccination coverage has reached 83.4% and visits to the emergency room by babies have been reduced by 77%.
A year ago at this time, the pediatric emergencies were overwhelmed by a strong circulation of RSV. The current landscape has changed drastically. On October 2, the first vaccination campaign against this virus and the effectiveness of the human monoclonal antibody that was administered has allowed the pressure on the health system to be relieved.
The vaccine has achieved a significant reduction in cases of bronchiolitis, visits to the emergency room and hospitalizations compared to previous seasons, stated the Minister of Health, Manel Balcells, in the presentation of the first results of the immunization campaign.
Between October and the second week of December, the hospitals of the Institut Català de la Salut treated 258 cases of RSV bronchiolitis in children under 6 months of age, compared to 1,118 treated in the same period of the previous year. This year, 78 babies have been hospitalized (84.5% less than 502 the previous year) and 24 have been admitted to the ICU (191 last year, which represents a reduction of 87.4%).
Highly contagious through nasopharyngeal secretions or saliva droplets of those affected, RSV is one of the main causes of hospitalization in children under 5 years of age. “For this reason, Salut has made an important effort to alleviate this public health problem,” indicated the Secretary of Public Health, Carmen Cabezas.
In Catalonia, 65,000 doses of Nirsevimab, the vaccine developed by AstraSeneca, have been distributed among primary care centers with pediatrics and hospitals, at a cost of 14.1 million euros. This amount covers the immunization needs of babies born until March 2024.
Vaccination takes place in outpatient clinics (in the case of those born between April and September 2023) and hospitals (those born between October 2024 and March 2024), prior to being discharged from the hospital.
Last year, RSV caused 7,523 bronchiolitis in children under one year of age in Catalonia, according to Salut estimates. This caused 1,058 hospitalizations, of which 396 in ICU, at a cost of more than 18 million euros for public health. This virus circulates in a seasonal pattern from October to March, and is so common that most children have already been infected by the time they are 2 years old.
Until this year, no authorized preventive measures were available for all children. Taking into account the impact of the infection, Salut decided to start immunization with Nirsevimab (75-80% effective in preventing respiratory tract infections) of all children starting last October before their first season. of VRS.
