Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus with symptoms similar to a mild cold, and young infants are especially vulnerable to complications due to having small airways. It is estimated that between four and five million children become infected with RSV in the U.S. each year, with an estimated 58,000 to 80,000 resulting in hospitalization. However, most people who become infected with RSV will recover fully within a week or two without treatment.
On July 17, 2023, the FDA approved the drug nirsevimab under the trade name Beyfortus, a monoclonal antibody, to prevent RSV. The CDC treats this monoclonal antibody as a vaccine, although the FDA, American Medical Association, and the World Health Organization classify it as an injectable drug.
Unlike a vaccine that stimulates the body to produce an immune response against a particular antigen, a monoclonal antibody is given in an effort to stop an infection.
The CDC recommends that all infants under eight months of age born during or entering their first RSV season (late fall through early spring) receive a single dose of the monoclonal antibody nirsevimab. It is possible, depending on the date of an infant’s birth, that hospitals and birthing centers will include this injection as one to be given at birth, similar to the hepatitis B vaccine.
To learn more about RSV and nirsevimab, visit NVIC’s RSV web pages. To understand more about approval of the RSV vaccine in pregnant women and the approval of the monoclonal antibody shot nirsevimab, read the below articles:
- Vote to Add Drug to Childhood Vaccination Schedule Opens Door to Daycare Mandates, Tracking, and Injury Liability Shield – Aug. 10, 2023.
- ACIP Recommends RSV Vaccination for Pregnant Women – Sept. 28, 2023.
