Good news for soon-to-be-moms, a new RSV vaccine has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration! In a few months’ time, it is expected to be ready for distribution on the market.
RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus, is a pathogen that affects the lungs. And for people who are immunocompromised like babies and the elderly, it can be fatal. RSV can cause Pneumonia and other serious lung diseases. It is also highly contagious since it can be spread just like COVID-19, through water vapor ejected from an infected person to another.
Although RSV is pretty common, it is one of the pathogens that can cause severe illness to children, and infants especially. Aside from pneumonia, it can also cause bronchitis and other infections in the lungs. And for an infant that doesn’t have completely developed organs yet, the symptoms could be deadly. According to data, in the United States alone, an estimated 58,000 to 80,000 infants and toddlers are infected by RSV and need hospitalization. Out of these numbers, around 100 to 300 perish from the diseases.
So for several decades now, pharmaceutical companies have been developing a vaccine to combat RSV. Just a few months ago, Pfizer announced that they have created a vaccine for the pathogen that is safe to use for adults. However, it was just on Monday that the announcement of a vaccine safe for pregnant women has been approved by the FDA.
Pfizer’s RSV vaccine “Abrysvo” is safe to be given to pregnant women around 32 to 36 weeks into gestation. It is a single-dose medicine that affects both mother and child. The mother produces antibodies that continue to protect the baby six months after giving birth, just like many antibodies we get from our mothers.
This news of the RSV vaccine is certainly a boon for the medical field. Pregnant people who are well into their 27th week of gestation or more are safe to be administered the vaccine. Similarly, the elderly who are above the age of 60 can also have the vaccine.
What’s next for the RSV Vaccine
Although the FDA has expressed approval for the use of Pfizer’s Abrysvo, the Center for Disease Control or CDC has the final say. According to the pharmaceutical company, the CDC is set to meet this October to hopefully approve the vaccine for distribution. When that happens, everyone can get their shots from their trusted medical facility.
This breakthrough in vaccine development is certainly a step forward in defeating pathogens that we previously didn’t have control over. With an RSV vaccine, the risk of developing pneumonia, bronchitis, or other respiratory diseases is significantly lowered.
We know this is not the last we’ll see in the field of antibody research. The COVID-19 pandemic has helped us make breakthroughs in vaccine developments and we all hope there are more diseases we can be protected from, in the future.