Addressing the burden of paediatric Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Preparing for access to immunisation
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) accounts for 63% of acute respiratory infections in infants and is the leading cause of hospitalisation for infants in their first year of life. The severity of RSV is unpredictable, and its burden extends beyond the hospital. There is no active treatment for RSV; care is primarily supportive and RSV-infected infants are expected to clear the infection on their own. Prior to COVID-19, RSV was the leading respiratory virus with implications for both elderly and infant populations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has raised heightened awareness of the public health threat of respiratory illnesses and the need for new approaches to infection control and prevention. Therefore, there are compelling reasons to prioritise RSV treatment and prevention and raise public policy awareness on its public health impact in pediatric outpatient and inpatient settings.
The session Addressing the burden of paediatric Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Preparing for access to immunisation, hosted by Sanofi, begins by setting the scene on the burden of RSV infections drawing on evidence gathered in the Europe-wide survey conducted by EHMA, and reports on the burden of pediatric RSV on health systems in Europe.