Preterm Infants Can Benefit from RSV Immunization

A new meta-analysis published by the Lancet concluded preventive products for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can have a substantial public health impact by preventing RSV-severe outcomes in preterm infants.

According to this article posted on February 14, 2024, preterm infants accounted for about 25% of RSV hospitalizations.

This systematic review and meta-analysis found early and late preterm infants had higher RSV-associated ALRI incidence and hospitalization rates than all infants of any gestational weeks.

And the increased risk of hospitalization among early preterm infants persisted into the second year of life.

One explanation is that early preterm children are at higher risk of underlying medical conditions with long-term impacts, such as chronic lung diseases and bronchopulmonary dysplasia, as shown by the ad-hoc exploratory analysis of the prevalence of comorbidities, wrote these researchers.

The U.S. CDC says preterm birth is when a baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. In 2022, preterm birth affected about 10% of infants born in the U.S.

Approved RSV preventive products in 2024 include vaccines and monoclonal antibody (mAb) passive immunization.

In 2023, the phase 3 MELODY clinical trial assessed the efficacy of Beyfortus™ (Nirsevimab), a U.S. FDA-approved mAb, in infants born at a gestational age of at least 35 weeks. 

This study found in term and late-preterm infants, a single dose of Beyfortus provided consistent protection against hospitalization for RSV-associated lower respiratory tract infection and severe, medically attended RSV-associated lower respiratory tract infection during an RSV season.