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What Is RSV And How Can The Vaccine Help Keep Babies Safe?

(KRON) — According to the latest reports from the Center for Disease Control published Monday, respiratory illnesses are on the rise in most of the United States. These diseases include the flu, colds and RSV, or respiratory synctial virus.

RSV is common virus that causes cold-like symptoms but it can be serious for certain groups. Infants and older adults are more likely to develop severe RSV illness and require hospitalization or may even die. But there is a limited supply of vaccinations.

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"Due to limited supply for the 2023-2024 RSV season, the CDC recommends reserving the use of nirsevimab 100 mg doses for infants at highest risk for severe RSV disease such as those age less than 6 months and infants with certain underlying conditions," a spokesperson from Kaiser Permanente told KRON4.

RSV spreads through direct contact with infected droplets on surfaces or through the air and can cause runny nose, decrease in appetite, coughing, sneezing, fever, or wheezing, according to the CDC. In young babies it can cause excessive fussiness, decreased activity or pauses in breathing for more than 10 seconds. And in serious cases, it can cause bronchiolitis or pneumonia.

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Public health data shows the overall percentage of doctor's visits for flu-like illnesses is 3.8 percent, up from 3.3 percent the previous week, KRON4 previously reported.

If you are interested in getting the vaccine, talk with your healthcare provider.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.

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RSV Shot In Short Supply As Cases Rise In Arkansas

A shot approved this year to protect babies against respiratory syncytial virus was in limited supply on Thursday amid a seasonal uptick in Arkansas of RSV and other respiratory illnesses.

"Because of limited manufacturer supply, we are reserving the RSV vaccine approved by the FDA [in July] for the sickest children in our care, including newborns in our NICU," Dr. Rick Barr, executive vice president and chief clinical and academic officer at Arkansas Children's, said in a statement.

"As supply improves, the vaccine will become available to more patients."

The CDC announced Thursday that an additional 77,000 doses of the shot, from AstraZeneca and Sanofi, were being released to be distributed to physicians and hospitals through the Vaccines for Children program.

"CDC and FDA will continue to be in close contact with manufacturers to ensure the availability of additional doses through end of this year and for early 2024 to meet the demand," the CDC said in a news release.

Sold under the brand name Beyfortus, the monoclonal antibody was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on July 17 for the prevention of RSV in children up to 2 years old.

The next month, the CDC recommended the shot for infants younger than 8 months who are entering their first RSV season, as well for as children up to 19 months old who are at an increased risk for severe RSV disease and entering their second season.

Citing the limited supply of doses, however, the CDC in October advised doctors to prioritize the shots for children under 6 months old and older infants with health conditions putting them at high risk of severe illness from RSV.

It said an older drug, palivizumab, should be used for children 8-19 months old who are eligible to receive it.

According to the CDC, RSV usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms but can also cause serious illness, especially in infants and older adults.

The FDA earlier this year approved the first vaccines for RSV, from GSK and Pfizer, for people age 60 and older. It also approved Pfizer's vaccine for pregnant women as a way of providing antibodies to children before they are born.

Despite the rise in cases, spokeswoman Hilary DeMillo said Arkansas Children's hospitals in Little Rock and Springdale will "have capacity and bed availability," though they are busy, and patients should expect longer wait times than typical for nonurgent cases in the emergency room.

"Our hospitals, clinics and emergency departments are busy but well equipped and prepared. As the state's only pediatric health system, we remain vigilant to ensure we are available for every child who needs us," Barr said.

Dr. Amanda Novack, an infectious disease physician at Little Rock-based Baptist Health, said Baptist has been seeing an increase in RSV cases as well but "in general, nothing alarming as of now."

She added that the RSV season has appeared later this year compared to last year, with the health system seeing about as many cases in the first two weeks of November as it did the entire month of October.

Across the state, Baptist saw 72 patients who tested positive for RSV in October and 142 this month, with "very few hospitalizations," she said.

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CDC Expedites Release Of 77,000 Additional Doses Of Sanofi-AstraZeneca's RSV Drug

[1/2]The logo of French drugmaker Sanofi is seen a the Sanofi Genzyme Polyclonals in Lyon, France, September 30, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights

Nov 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday it has expedited the release of more than 77,000 additional doses of Sanofi (SASY.PA) and AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) drug Beyfortus.

The additional doses, which the CDC said will be distributed immediately to physicians and hospitals, will help improve the availability of the drug at a time when a surge in cases of the disease is outpacing supply.

Beyfortus was approved earlier this year to prevent the disease in infants and toddlers.

CDC said the agency, along with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will continue to be in close contact with the manufacturers to ensure availability of additional doses through the end of this year and early 2024 to meet the demand.

AstraZeneca previously said it will prioritize the U.S. Market for additional doses of Beyfortus. Its French partner Sanofi said on Oct. 20 it was seeing an "unprecedented level" of demand for the therapy.

RSV is a usually seasonal respiratory virus that generally causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Still, infants and older adults have a higher risk of developing severe RSV.

The CDC had also issued an alert in October saying there was a limited supply of the drug Beyfortus, and advised physicians to prioritize those under 6 months of age or with underlying health conditions.

RSV cases in the U.S. Began a sharp upward trend in the middle of October and were at the highest level since January last winter with 4,952 cases detected through testing in the week ended Nov. 4, according to the CDC website.

The U.S. Last year saw a surge of children under age 5 being hospitalized for respiratory viruses, including RSV.

RSV is the top cause of hospitalization among infants, leading to around 1% to 3% of children under 12 months of age being hospitalized in the United States each year, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

(This story has been corrected to say the CDC expedited the release of doses, not released the doses, in the headline and paragraph 1)

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Reporting by Khushi Mandowara and Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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