RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, causes an infection of the respiratory tract. Often only the upper respiratory tract, the nose and throat, are affected, and patients experience a common cold or ear infection. However, in young children or the elderly, the disease can also progress more severely and reach the lower respiratory tract and lead to pneumonia.
Worldwide, 33 million children under the age of 5 contract the disease every year. This leads to 3.6 million hospitalizations and 100,000 fatalities every year. Of those fatalities, 95 percent are younger than 6 months. The vast majority of children who die come from low- and middle-income countries.
The study set up by the UMC Utrecht team, and reported by Dutch public broadcaster NOS on Wednesday evening, tested the vaccine in 7,500 pregnant women from 18 countries. The vaccine was administered at least one month before the baby was born. In this way, the mother could produce antibodies and pass them on to the unborn baby.
The analyzes showed that the babies were 82 percent less likely to develop a serious lower respiratory tract infection 90 days after birth. After 180 days, or six months, there was a 70 percent reduction in the risk of a serious RSV infection. With less serious infections also taken together, the vaccine’s effectiveness rate was 50 percent.
“The vaccine does not ensure that the RS virus will disappear, but it does cause less serious infections,” explains vaccinologist Johan Neyts. “RSV is a huge problem worldwide, and there was no vaccine available. Now the first vaccine worthy of that name is on its way. This is a big step in the right direction.”