Antwerp hospital group again offers RSV protection to 4,000 babies

A treatment introduced to protect babies from RSV may offer an unexpected second benefit: fewer serious pneumococcal infections.

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Last year, 73% fewer children younger than 6 months were admitted with RSV compared with two years ago, when the antibodies were not yet available. That literally gives our busy pediatric ward some breathing room in winter.

Antwerp hospital group ZAS is inviting the parents of 4,000 babies born after March 16 to make an appointment for an RSV antibody injection from next week. Babies born during the autumn and winter already receive the protection at birth. The new invitation targets those born in spring and summer, outside the usual RSV season.

The antibody program began in 2024 and has already eased pressure on children’s wards. Professor Daan Van Brusselen, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at ZAS and the University of Antwerp, said admissions of children under six months with RSV fell by 73% last year compared with two years earlier, from 345 to 95 cases. RSV remains the main reason children are admitted to the pediatric ward and can cause severe lung infections requiring oxygen, tube feeding or intensive care.

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It can cause quite severe lung infections in winter, in which children need oxygen, receive tube feeding or even end up in intensive care.

Research in France has now found that the antibodies may also reduce severe pneumococcal infections. These bacterial infections can cause serious pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis. The study found 36% fewer hospital admissions for severe pneumococcal disease among children who received RSV antibodies.

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A large French study found that children who received RSV antibodies were also admitted to hospital 36% less often with a severe pneumococcal infection.

Van Brusselen said pneumococcal infections occur far less often than RSV but can be more dangerous. Some children may die, while 20% to 30% of survivors may face developmental problems. Vaccines exist, though they do not provide complete protection, making the antibodies a possible additional tool. The injection is voluntary. About 80% to 85% of parents accept it in maternity wards, compared with roughly half of parents of babies born in spring and summer. Parents can also obtain it through their family doctor.

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That is particularly interesting. Severe pneumococcal infections are up to 100 times less common than RSV infections, but they are more serious.