Each season, an average of 1,650 children under one year require hospital care due to RS virus infection.
In a country with good healthcare, it is not a fatal disease, but worried parents come to the pediatric emergency room with infants who have difficulty breathing when cough, fever, and mucus strike.
The respiratory tract of young children is more severely affected by the RS virus, so they may need respiratory support such as oxygen. When young children become ill with a high fever, they may have difficulty eating, and are then given a feeding tube into their stomach, says Susanne Strömdahl, infectious disease physician and investigator at the Swedish Public Health Agency.
The very youngest children, who are only a few months old, can sometimes suffer from breathing pauses, known as apneas.
Hope for a turning point
Now there is hope for a turning point, which could lead to a significantly reduced burden on children's healthcare during the winter months - and reduced suffering for the very youngest. Since September 10 last year, newborns have been offered an injection of antibodies against the RS virus. A majority of parents have accepted.
It is not surprising, but it is very gratifying that the majority chose to say yes, given the great benefit for the youngest children of being protected for the first winter season.
Is it revolutionary?
Yes, that is based on the international data we see reported, says Susanne Strömdahl.
Not one hundred percent
She describes the drug as safe. So far, there have been five reports of side effects in Sweden, and these have mainly involved a fine, dotted rash or redness and swelling at the injection site.
The antibodies provide good, but not 100% protection against serious illness. Since the treatment began to be offered, the Public Health Agency has only received reports of a few children who received antibodies and still contracted RS virus infection.
We expect a large protective effect. But at this point we are just at the beginning of the spread of the infection. The season started in week five.
The advice to protect babies from meeting people with colds outside the immediate family applies even if the child has received antibodies, because there are so many other infections in circulation. Adults who take care of young children should also be careful to wash their hands.
Cecilia Klintö/TT
Facts: RS virus
TT
RS virus infection can lead to serious symptoms, mainly in infants and people who are 75 years of age or older.
The virus is transmitted through direct or indirect contact and by droplet transmission.
Older children and adults who are infected get a cold, but rarely become seriously ill.
Children under one year of age often develop fever and breathing difficulties. One to three percent usually require hospital treatment, and just over a quarter develop pneumonia or bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lungs).
People aged 75 and over and people aged 60 and over with certain underlying diseases are recommended to get vaccinated.
Since September last year, newborns have been offered antibodies against the RS virus, as well as certain older children in the risk group.
Source: Public Health Agency of Sweden
