- Respiratory Syncytial Virus season is close and daycares are usually hit the hardest
- A new drug, Beyfortus, approved by the FDA in July 2023 is a first of its kind treatment for RSV in babies
- The hope is to see a decrease in hospitalization which range from 58,000 to 80,000 every year in children five or younger who get RSV
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
“It is a really serious virus that you just don’t want to spread and really the most vulnerable people are the babies,” said Lori fascilla, executive director at Giraffe Laugh early learning center.
Lori fascilla has worked in childcare for over 30 years and has seen respiratory syncytial virus’s impact on infants and babies but also families as a whole.
“it has that cascading effect of one child gets it and then there’s other parents that aren't able to go to work and so on and so forth and it just spreads throughout households”
But a new drug approved by the FDA earlier this year could help protect younger kids. Beyfortus was approved in July just in time for the coming RSV season and doctors see it as a popular choice.
“Everybody in the country wants to move to this technique because it’s an awesome way to protect those at high risk from getting sick and decrease the number of hospitalizations,” said Henry Thompson, executive medical director at St. Lukes.
The monoclonal antibody treatment is a first of its kind against RSV for infants and shows promise in helping stop the illness from spreading.
“it’s incredibly exciting and the opportunity to minimize a significant impact in small childrens lives where you don’t get hospitalized and you're healthier is outstanding”
