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. 2022 Nov 30;18(4):2079322.
doi: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2079322. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

RSV disease in infants and young children: Can we see a brighter future?

Eugenio Baraldi  1 , Giovanni Checcucci Lisi  2 , Claudio Costantino  3 , Jon H Heinrichs  2 , Paolo Manzoni  4 , Matteo Riccò  5 , Michelle Roberts  2 , Natalya Vassilouthis  2
Affiliations

RSV disease in infants and young children: Can we see a brighter future?

Eugenio Baraldi et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother. .

Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a highly contagious seasonal virus and the leading cause of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (LRTI), including pneumonia and bronchiolitis in children. RSV-related LRTI cause approximately 3 million hospitalizations and 120,000 deaths annually among children <5 years of age. The majority of the burden of RSV occurs in previously healthy infants. Only a monoclonal antibody (mAb) has been approved against RSV infections in a restricted group, leaving an urgent unmet need for a large number of children potentially benefiting from preventive measures. Approaches under development include maternal vaccines to protect newborns, extended half-life monoclonal antibodies to provide rapid long-lasting protection, and pediatric vaccines. RSV has been identified as a major global priority but a solution to tackle this unmet need for all children has yet to be implemented. New technologies represent the avenue for effectively addressing the leading-cause of hospitalization in children <1 years old.

Keywords: LRTI; RSV; RSV all infants; RSV epidemiology; RSV paediatric burden; RSV prevention; RSV vaccines; monoclonal antibodies; respiratory syncytial virus.

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Conflict of interest statement

In accordance with Taylor & Francis policy and their ethical obligation as researchers we declare that all external authors have been participants in the past at advisory boards and/or have been speakers at symposia and/or lecture sponsored by Sanofi. Dr. CHECCUCCI LISI, Dr. ROBERTS, Dr. HEINRICHS, and Dr. VASSILOUTHIS, are reporting that they are employed by SANOFI and may hold shares and/or stock options in the company, a company that may be affected by the research reported in the enclosed paper. Authors have disclosed those interests fully to Taylor & Francis, and they have in place an approved plan for managing any potential conflicts arising from having been involved in the writing of this review.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Top 5 primary diagnoses in hospitalized infants <1 year of age in the USA.,,
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Estimation of healthcare utilization related to RSV in children <2 year.,,
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Schematic representation of RSV and RSV genome (Adapted from Tognarelli et al., 2019).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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