In Fall 2022, the United States saw an early and significant spike in cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, which is the leading cause of hospitalizations in all infants. On Wednesday, October 11th, the American Lung Association will launch a campaign to help inform parents of infants and young children, as well as caregivers about RSV and new ways they can protect their children.
In August 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended a new monoclonal antibody to help prevent severe RSV illness in infants and children at increased risk. RSV is so common that nearly 100% of children have been infected with the virus by age two and as many as 80,000 children younger than five are hospitalized due to RSV in the United States.
Most people, including infants, develop only mild symptoms similar to that of a common cold but for some, it can be severe and even life threatening. This long-acting preventive monoclonal antibody provides an extra layer of defense to help combat the RSV infections.
For more information, go to http://www.lung.org.
