Evidence shows benefit of RSV vaccines as Trump officials push restrictions

"As US officials move to restrict vaccines, including the shots to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), more evidence is emerging to confirm how dramatically the jabs reduce hospitalizations. Announced last week as part of new restrictions on one-third of all routine childhood vaccines, RSV shots are now recommended only for high-risk babies, instead of all infants. The Trump administration announcement was led by prominent vaccine critic and health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr."

"The UK, Australia, and Denmark only recommend the RSV shot for high-risk newborns because those countries all recommend the vaccine during pregnancy. Additionally, those countries have universal healthcare which the US does not which means everyone is able to visit the doctor regularly and receive the vaccines. In the US, where care is much more fragmented, only about a third of pregnant people receive the shot, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."

"But in recent years, doctors and parents have seen a major decrease in severe illness among babies who received the shots. It's easy to see in real life. We can really tell that hospitalizations are down, said Richard Rupp, professor in pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical Branch and the interim director of the Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences, who as a researcher was involved with the trials of RSV shots for newborns. It's made a big difference."

US officials moved to restrict vaccines, making RSV shots recommended only for high-risk infants instead of all infants. The change was announced as part of new restrictions affecting one-third of routine childhood vaccines and was led by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. The UK, Australia, and Denmark recommend RSV vaccination during pregnancy and therefore limit newborn shots to high-risk infants; those countries also have universal healthcare enabling broader vaccine access. In the US, about one-third of pregnant people receive the RSV vaccine, according to the CDC. Four JAMA studies and clinical observations show large declines in infant RSV hospitalizations after vaccination, and clinicians warn that restricting the shots could reverse those gains as infections rise this respiratory season.

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