2023-09-15 06:04:00
After a terrible winter, the campaign to immunize infants once morest the bronchiolitis virus begins this Friday.
It was this summer that the High Authority of Health gave the green light to the reimbursement of Beyfortus, a monoclonal antibody aimed at preventing bronchiolitis in newborns and infants exposed to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
And it is this Friday, September 15 that the immunization campaign begins, before the start of the circulation of the virus. “This is one of the major challenges of the start of the school year,” assured Aurélien Rousseau, the Minister of Health in recent days while Beyfortus will be administered to all infants aged less than 6 months.
As a reminder, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is responsible for respiratory infections in newborns and infants which can develop into bronchiolitis. This is characterized by an episode of respiratory discomfort, the signs of which are coughing and rapid, wheezing breathing, recalls the HAS. “While it is common and most often benign, bronchiolitis can, in certain cases, cause severe complications and lead to hospitalization.”
26,000 hospitalizations last winter
Last winter was marked by very high intensity, particularly in terms of pemergency room visits (73,262) et hospitalizations (26,104) of children. Very contagious, bronchiolitis affects many infants under the age of 2 each winter. Therefore, its prevention appears to be a public health issue, warns the HAS.
The Beyfortus is not “a vaccine but a preventive treatment with monoclonal antibody in a single intramuscular injection, conferring passive immunity.
HAS assures that “the data show that the maximum concentration of antibodies is reached at 6th day following injectionwith a duration of observed protection of at least 5 months. This treatment thus completes the arsenal of preventive treatments for bronchiolitis as the second monoclonal antibody available to date, following Synagis (palivizumab), indicated in children at high risk of RSV infection.
Reduce hospitalizations by 80%
Health authorities also warn that its administration does not replace the application of barrier measures (hand washing, ventilation of rooms, wearing a mask in the event of a cold, etc.), which are essential to prevent infection.
Furthermore, Beyfortus targets newborns and infants during their first season of exposure to the virus.
The vaccination campaign will last until the end of the epidemic, generally observed at the end of January. The objective is to reduce the number of children hospitalized by 80%.
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