Castilla-La Mancha hopes to protect newborns and infants from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection with a vaccine to avoid complications such as bronchiolitis. The management board has authorized the signing of a monoclonal antibody supply contract for the 2023-2024 season in the amount of 3,260,400 euros.
VRS is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild symptoms similar to a cold. The Spanish Academy of Pediatrics recalls that most people recover within a week or two, but RSV can be serious in infants, causing bronchiolitis and pneumonia.
In this sense, Esther Padilla, spokesman for the Castilla-Manchego administration, explained that RSV is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children under one year old, especially those associated with bronchiolitis and pneumonia, and Lower respiratory tract infection in adults. People over 65 years of age and people with at-risk conditions.
As a result, Padilla insisted that “the first priority is to prevent disease and take care of the health of all citizens” and reduce the severe nursing overload that occurs in primary care services and hospitals every winter.
Befortus
On October 31, 2022, the European Commission authorized Beyfortus for the prevention of lower respiratory disease caused by RSV in newborns and infants during the first season of exposure to the virus.
The long-acting antibody is given to infants in a single dose to protect them from lower respiratory infections, according to the Spanish Association of Vaccines.
In adults and older children, RSV infection may be asymptomatic or manifest as sinusitis or the common cold. In addition, babies may become fussy, have difficulty breathing, and become less active.