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Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2024 Two Peds in a Pod®
protection for babies against severe RSV
Finally!
Pediatrician and parents have waited patiently for effective protection for babies against severe RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) infections, and we finally have it.
Welcome, nirsevimab – otherwise known as brand name Beyfortus.
Nirsevimab protects against RSV, which is a nasty cold virus that attacks young lungs fiercely. While many babies with RSV end up with “just a cold,“ 20% to 30% with a first time infection end up with lung infections. Year after year hospitals fill with babies battling RSV. An additional problem with RSV: babies sick with RSV have a greater risk of developing asthma than babies who were never infected with RSV.
This viral season every newborn and any baby younger than eight months of age is eligible for a one time shot of nirsevimab. The shot gives protection in the form of antibodies to RSV.
A similar medication called palivizumab (brand name Synagis) has been around for years. However, only certain high risk babies, such as those who were born very prematurely, received it. Palivizumab consisted of monthly injections during RSV season (typically October through March).
Conveniently, one dose of nirsevimab gives protection against severe RSV for five months. All babies under eight months of age during RSV season will be eligible to receive this new protection.
Be sure to discuss nirsevimab with your pediatrician this fall.
For a more detailed account of nirsevimab recommendations read here.
The arrival of nirsevimab will make every pediatrician and lots of babies breathe a little easier this fall and winter.
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2023 Two Peds in a Pod®
Parents ask us every day the difference between the flu (influenza), RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), or COVID (coronavirus disease 2019). While no method is fool proof, here are some typical differences among these viruses:
Flu almost always causes fever of 101°F or higher and some respiratory symptoms such as runny nose, cough, or sore throat (many times, all three). In addition to the usual respiratory symptoms, the flu causes
Continue reading “Which is it: the flu, RSV, or COVID?”
“A baby in my child’s daycare was hospitalized for RSV,” panicked parents said to us the other day. But RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is not just a daycare phenomenon. As we are currently experiencing in our office, this virus causes MANY more run-of-the-mill office visits than hospitalizations.
Right now, RSV season is in full swing. RSV is one of the most common causes of the common cold. It is THE most common cause of childhood bronchiolitis (inflamed tiny airways in the lungs), but most of the time RSV causes a really miserable cold without any other complications. Most of us have had RSV many times. RSV tends to be particularly tough on babies and toddlers because the worst episode of RSV is usually the first time you catch the germ.
RSV glues to cells from the nose down to the lungs, causing breathing difficulties. The boogies from RSV tend to be very thick and kids’ lungs goo-up, sometimes causing a wheeze (like that of a person with asthma). The cough from RSV can easily last a month. The disease can be very dangerous in young infants, babies born earlier than 38 weeks (premature), and babies with chronic lung and heart disease, because of their inability to clear the gunk that RSV produces in their airways. Some kids get fever with RSV and some do not.
Like all cold viruses, no medication kills RSV, so the germ needs to “run its course.” The third through the fifth day of the illness are generally the peak days for symptoms. Here are ways to help your ill child:
Just like you when you have a cold, your child may lose her appetite because she has a belly full of post nasal drip and overall feels lousy. Do not fret over her lack of food intake, but do hydrate her well. Breast milk or formula, because of their nutrition, is the best choice for hydrating infants with a cold. For older children, encourage water, but if your child is not eating, make sure there is salt and sugar in her fluids to keep her going. Don’t be afraid to give your child milk when she has a cold. Good old-fashioned chicken broth is another great source of hydration.
For kids under two years of age, avoid the use of smelly chest rubs containing menthol or camphor (e.g. Vicks Vapor Rub) and in older children, don’t introduce a rub for the first time when your child is ill. When he is sick is a terrible time to discover that a chest rub sends your child into an allergic coughing fit or to discover that he hates the smell.
How do you know if you need to take your child to the doctor? Read here to help you decide. Watch for signs of difficulty breathing: rapid breathing, ribs sticking out each time your child breathes in (click here for our video example of this), and/or belly moving in and out with each breath, and grunting. A child who is short of breath will be unable to breathe and drink at the same time. A child who is inconsolable with RSV might have additional infections such as pneumonia, ear infections or sinus infections.
Since our immune systems do not make a long-lasting antibody response to RSV, our bodies do not “remember” RSV, and we can catch it again and again. This makes the creation of an RSV vaccine difficult, because vaccines work by boosting our natural defense systems. Vaccines cannot boost an immune response that does not occur naturally.
Take heart, even if your child gets RSV every winter, each episode will usually be less severe than the last. Just look at us pediatricians, we have contracted it so many times, we may sneeze only once before the germ retreats.
Hopefully your family escapes RSV this year! Continue good hand washing and encourage your child to cough into his sleeve to prevent spread of RSV and other Really Sick Viruses.
Naline Lai, MD and Julie Kardos, MD
©2017 Two Peds in a Pod®, revised from 2014
