A new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals a dramatic decline in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalizations for babies. The availability of a vaccine given during pregnancy and a monoclonal antibody treatment in the first eight months of life led to a significant reduction in RSV-related hospitalizations.
Before the Covid pandemic, RSV was the leading cause of hospitalization for infants in the US, with newborns under two months being most at risk. However, this past winter’s RSV season saw hospitalizations among babies under seven months drop by as much as 56%, and among newborns, it decreased by as much as 71%.
Heather Auerbach, an emergency physician, observed a similar trend, noting that critically ill children were fewer in number this year compared to previous seasons. She attributes the decrease to the vaccine and treatment being widely available.
The CDC’s RSV-Net tracking tool shows a peak in hospitalizations for children under one year old being roughly half of what it was during the 2023-24 season, and one-third that of the 2022-23 season. However, children aged 1-4 and 5-17 had higher rates of hospitalization from RSV this winter.
The study suggests that high uptake of vaccines and preventative treatments can lead to significant public health impact in protecting young babies from severe illness. The researchers believe that increased use of RSV prevention products during future seasons might lead to even larger reductions in RSV hospitalizations among infants.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/18/rsv-cases-decline-vaccines-treatment