The CDC’s Advisory Board voted to recommend a new RSV vaccine for pregnant women. The vaccine is given to women, but primarily intended to protect infants as the mother passes antibodies to the fetus through the placenta. This helps the baby build immunity that lasts for approximately one year. RSV, which stands for respiratory syncytial virus, hospitalizes 58,000 to 80,000 children under 5 years old each year. The virus also kills 100-300 children in this age group. In an 11-1 vote, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended the shot for people in the 32nd through 36th week of pregnancy.
CDC Director Mandy Cohen must still sign off on the recommendation for the vaccine to receive approval. If approved, the vaccine would become the second preventative medicine against RSV to be authorized for infants. In August the CDC officially approved a non-vaccine monoclonal antibody called Beyfortus. This drug is given directly to babies under 8 months old.
Full Story: CIDRAP