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Dr. Paul Roumeliotis knows first-hand how dangerous RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) can be for tiny babies.
The pediatrician and medical officer of health at the Eastern Ontario Health Unit has watched infants infected with RSV struggle to breathe, some of whom had to be intubated. “It’s heartbreaking to see a two-month-old baby having such difficulty breathing.”
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He is among those hoping to see far fewer struggling infants, thanks to new publicly funded RSV treatment available in Ontario for the first time this year.
The treatment provides protective antibodies to infants. It will be available to all Ontario babies born in 2024 as well as to high-risk children up to 24 months old. In addition, RSV vaccines, already available for high-risk older adults, are being expanded to include pregnant women, something that will also protect their babies.
Roumeliotis, who has been practising pediatrics for more than four decades, calls the new treatments a “game changer” for an illness that is potentially dangerous and often misunderstood.
He is part of a health coalition working to get the word out to parents about the risks of RSV and the preventative measures now available.
RSV can infect people of any age, but it causes the most problems in the very young or the very old. Babies six months and under are at the highest risk. RSV is a leading cause of hospitalization for babies, with higher rates than for flu or other illnesses.
RSV hit the headlines in 2022 when pediatric hospitalizations spiked, overwhelming hospitals, including CHEO. A recent study published in the journal JAMA Network Open showed that pediatric hospitalizations among children under five in Ontario doubled during the 2022-2023 season compared to a year earlier. The rate of children requiring ventilation was two to three times higher than during pre-pandemic years.
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The spike in 2022 followed the lifting of many COVID mitigation measures, but RSV continues to be a concern for young babies.
But many people do not know much about it.
The organization 19 to Zero, a national not-for-profit organization focused on what it calls a knowledge gap about RSV among current and soon-to-be parents, found many parents have heard of the illness but far fewer realize it can cause serious infections in the respiratory tract. Only about a quarter of people surveyed knew that a vaccine was available for pregnant individuals or that preventative medicine is available for newborns. It aims to raise awareness about the illness and preventative treatment.
The RSV vaccine for older adults was introduced in Ontario in 2023. Until this year, the only preventative medication available for infants came in the form of monthly injections for the highest-risk babies, including preemies. The current treatment is available to all babies.
Roumeliotis said he is hoping the newly available monoclonal antibody treatment for all babies — called Beyfortus — can be given by injection in hospital shortly after birth or along with routine immunizations.
“This is going to be an important advance in preventing RSV and it will remove a lot of stress and anxiety for parents with young babies. The good news is that we can prevent it.”
More information: Ontario.ca/rsv
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