Antibodies to RS virus greatly reduce hospital admissions among infants

Human babies are so incredibly cute, you just want to pick them up and hug them. Which is lucky for them, given that they are also so hopelessly fragilely constructed. Totally helpless. No, not all baby animals are fully developed when they are born: the offspring of many species come into the world blind, deaf and naked, for some it takes several months before they can manage something like that on their own. But our babies? They can't even go for a whole year!

In fact, it takes time before they can even handle a common cold.

RS, respiratory syncytial virus, is one of our most common infections and affects most people already within the first two years of life. But because babies are unable to breathe through their mouths, the nasal congestion and mucus build-up that follows this particular infection can quickly lead to problems with oxygenation. There is also research that suggests it increases the risk of persistent asthma.

Treatments already exist: a small number of babies in special risk groups – such as premature babies and those with heart and lung disease – have been able to go into the neonatal unit and receive a shot every month during the RS season, which after the pandemic has been prolonged and intense.

But this year it finally arrived: a single dose of long-acting antibodies. It has been offered free of charge to all newborns already at the hospital. And unlike the mentality that some people otherwise have towards injections for the purpose of disease prevention, thankfully no arguments are heard that it would be better and more natural to just let the children get sick, after all, very few actually die.

No, 87 percent of the parents have agreed to have their baby receive a dose already after birth, the Public Health Agency's results show like this a year later. There is thus a broad and silent consensus that children are our everything, and that they are far too valuable to take any risks.

Only 7 children have needed intensive care, compared to 45 the previous year.

And now we see the result: the number of children admitted to the emergency room with the RS virus has decreased by 82 percent. Only 7 children have needed intensive care, compared to 45 the previous year. Compare this with the years that were previously at their worst - such as when Astrid Lindgren's entire children's hospital was forced to switch to emergency care only (DN 1/10 2021). Now those resources are freed up.

It is often pointed out in these contexts that vaccines and antibodies not only protect those who have received the injection, but also everyone who avoids getting sick thanks to the fact that the spread of infection is suppressed. And also, one can add in the case of RS, all children who need care at all.

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