Panamanian Medical Societies Urge Urgent RSV Antibody Implementation Amid Infant Deaths

Several Panamanian medical societies have issued a joint statement calling for immediate action to protect infants from Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). The Panamanian Society of Pediatrics, the Society of Infectious Diseases of Panama, the Panamanian Society of Pediatric Infectiology, and the Panamanian Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology expressed concern over a rise in severe RSV cases and fatalities this year.

The organizations warned that Panama is currently experiencing high viral circulation, increasing the risk of severe illness and death if extraordinary prevention and control measures are not implemented promptly. While acknowledging the incorporation of maternal RSV vaccination in July 2025, they stressed that public health policy effectiveness is measured by actual protection achieved in newborns and infants, not just vaccine availability.

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currently the country is at that level of viral circulation, so it is reasonable to anticipate a greater risk of severe cases and deaths if extraordinary prevention and control measures are not implemented immediately.

Key requests include advancing the implementation of long-acting monoclonal antibodies to protect newborns during the current virus season, starting in 2026. They also urge reinforcing maternal vaccination, publishing a clear implementation timeline, and ensuring high-risk newborns receive protection before hospital discharge. The societies also called for prioritizing preventive measures in high-burden regions, weekly publication of coverage and hospitalization indicators, and establishing a national technical committee with the Ministry of Health, the Social Security Fund, and scientific societies to oversee proposed actions.

According to the Ministry of Health's Epidemiology Department, 13 RSV-associated deaths have been recorded in 2026 so far, with 12 of those deaths involving children under five years old.

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a public health policy cannot be evaluated solely by the purchase or availability of doses, but by the effective protection achieved in newborns and infants.