News for the second campaign of immunization of babies against bronchiolitis

While Beyfortus helped prevent 5,800 baby hospitalizations for bronchiolitis last year, the campaign is starting again with a new option: the possibility of vaccinating pregnant women.

The campaign to protect babies against bronchiolitis starts on Monday, September 16. Like last year, parents will be able to choose to immunize their child against severe forms of the disease this winter with Beyfortus, an antibody that has been on the market for a year. A new option now also exists with a vaccine for pregnant women.

At the Béclère hospital in Clamart, in the Paris region, the pediatric emergency room overwhelmed by the arrival of babies suffering from severe forms of bronchiolitis seems to be a thing of the past. This is what Professor Vincent Gajdos is delighted about. The pediatrician confirms that last winter, the arrival of Beyfortus finally changed the situation: “It was quite an extraordinary year for us, since it was the first time that we were able to prevent an epidemic that we have known about for 25 years.”

“We saw a clear decrease in the number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations for bronchiolitis. We were able to observe an 80% reduction in the risk of developing bronchiolitis for babies who had received this monoclonal antibody.”

Pr Vincent Gajdos

to franceinfo

According to Public Health France, this antibody produced by Sanofi and Astrazeneca and widely acclaimed by parents, has prevented 5,800 hospitalizations of babies. “This year, we’re starting again even more motivated with two possibilities”says Professor Alexandra Benachi, head of the obstetrics and gynecology department.

In fact, this year the option is either Beyfortus or Abrysvo, a brand new vaccine from Pfizer that is injected into pregnant women. In this case, the baby is protected even before birth. “There is no preference. We warn all patients at the end of pregnancy that this possibility exists. Some prefer to be vaccinated themselves rather than giving an injection to their child, others prefer Beyfortus which has already worked well last year.“, specifies the specialist.

Similar effectiveness, few side effects, health authorities also do not give a preference between these two options, it will be up to the parents to choose. Moreover, neither one nor the other is mandatory. Health professionals also remind us that to avoid bronchiolitis this fall and winter, we must not forget the barrier gestures and prevent everyone around us from cuddling the newborns.