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A disease that stalks children

2022-12-06T04:45:07.028Z


More than 100,000 children die each year from the respiratory syncytial virus, a recurring condition during the winter season


Like many other people, I have spent much of the last few years in isolation to avoid catching covid-19.

We only now learn that this isolation produced some unexpected side effects.

The number of infections caused by diseases that were once common, such as the flu or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), for example, has plummeted.

But now, as much of the world has returned to its pre-pandemic pace, that brief hiatus has come to an end.

RSV, a dangerous infection that kills more than 100,000 young children each year, has made an aggressive comeback.

Several countries, including South Africa and Australia, have had major outbreaks, and hospitals in the United States are overflowing with babies suffering from respiratory difficulties.

Although most infections with this pathogen are mild, the virus can be much more serious in younger patients and can lead to pneumonia.

The alarming rise in RSV cases bodes ill for the winter months in the Northern Hemisphere, especially as a busy flu season is forecast.

However, while this virus can cause serious illness, including pneumonia in very young children, it is rarely fatal in high-income countries like the United States.

Over 97% of deaths from this condition occur in low- and middle-income countries, a stark disparity that has made RSV one of the leading causes of newborn and child deaths in these settings.

Fortunately, new technological advances looming on the horizon could soon mitigate the threat posed by this disease.

Promising advances in maternal immunization – vaccinating pregnant women to give life-saving protection to their babies – have the potential to save thousands of lives each year, and have been used safely and effectively for decades to protect newborns from other infectious diseases, such as whooping cough and tetanus.

In addition, an effective vaccine against RSV is finally in sight.

If approved, it would be the first vaccine to protect children against this virus.

Studies have found that it may provide protection against RSV in the first months of life, and this may also protect against other respiratory infections in the future.

Although most infections with this pathogen are mild, the virus can be much more serious in younger patients and can lead to pneumonia, the disease that kills more children than any other infectious disease.

Also, there are no medications to treat RSV.

In severe cases, medical oxygen is given in a hospital to help babies breathe until the infection clears up, as long as they can get to a hospital.

For newborns living in areas where hospital care or oxygen are out of reach, this common childhood disease can quickly become deadly.

It is in these contexts that an RSV vaccine has the greatest potential to save lives and prevent families from suffering overwhelming grief.

For 15 years, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has supported efforts to advance the field of maternal immunization.

Support provided includes research and development funding for maternal vaccines against influenza, pertussis, other neonatal bloodstream infections, as well as RSV and group B strep (GBS).

Our most recent investment in maternal RSV vaccines is focused on improving affordability and access for people living in low-income countries.

This is critically important to give babies at these sites the highest chance of staying alive.

The alarming rise in RSV cases bodes ill for the winter months in the Northern Hemisphere, especially as a heavy flu season is forecast

While the vaccine is still in development, I am hopeful that if it is successful and gets regulatory approval, it will begin to be rolled out (through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance) in low- and middle-income countries. as of 2024. Rapid and equitable access to this vaccine, which saves lives in countries where RSV remains a leading cause of death, will have a tangible impact in reducing childhood illness and deaths around the world.

The truth is that a successful rollout also depends on the vaccine being accepted and adopted by local communities.

But as things stand, I'm optimistic that it will.

Research has shown that pregnant mothers are more likely to receive vaccines to protect their babies before birth than just to protect themselves.

In addition, studies have determined that if protection against RSV can be provided in the first months of life, it is likely that protection against other future respiratory infections, including pneumonia, will also be provided.

VSR is not a new problem.

Pediatricians and many parents have been afraid of this disease for a long time, and this fear is well founded.

But now, at long last, we are about to build and deploy the tools we need to protect babies when and where they are most vulnerable.

We must all continue to work for a future where children, regardless of where they are born, can grow up to live full and healthy lives, safe from the dangers of RSV and childhood pneumonia.

By ensuring equal access to these life-saving vaccines, we can make the future we describe a reality.

Keith Klugman

is the director of the pneumonia program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2022-12-06

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