Bronchiolitis causes 45,000 infant hospitalizations each year. This Friday, a new preventive treatment is offered free of charge to newborns and children under one year old.
“A single injection of this type of antibody provides protection over several months”, explained Friday September 15 on franceinfo Professor Robert Cohen, pediatrician, infectious disease specialist, while a new preventive treatment is now offered free of charge to newborns and children under one year old born from February 6. A major campaign to protect infants from this very common respiratory disease will start on Friday September 15. Bronchiolitis “represents between 20 and 25% of pediatric hospitalizations in winter. It’s huge!”, he stressed. The respiratory virus caused 45,000 infant hospitalizations last year. Professor Robert Cohen encourages parents to realize “a single injection, as soon as possible after birth”.
franceinfo: Why should we protect infants against bronchiolitis?
Robert Cohen : It is by far the leading cause of hospitalization in pediatrics. This represents, depending on the year, between 20 and 25% of pediatric hospitalizations during the winter period. It is enormous ! This represents tens of thousands of children each time. Every year, this is what very clearly unbalances our pediatric health system. Hospitals are saturated. It’s bronchiolitis that causes this. Last year was truly a disaster. We had an epidemic of intensity and violence… We were on the verge of catastrophe.
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It is not a vaccine but a monoclonal antibody. What is it exactly?
Normally, when you get a vaccine, you make antibodies yourself. But the turnaround time to prepare these antibodies usually takes several weeks. For some, it takes several injections. There, specific antibodies directed against this virus are administered directly to the child. A single injection of this type of antibody provides protection over several months, over the respiratory syncytial virus season. They will be protected from the most important form which leads to hospitalization and from time to time resuscitation.
Is this for all newborns?
The children at risk are the smallest. A baby born between October 1 and March 1 has a chance in 20 or 25 of being hospitalized for bronchiolitis. They are the most fragile. Afterwards, those who are a little taller have less risk of hospitalization, but that does not mean that they do not have the risk of hospitalization. Roughly speaking, those less than three months old have twice the risk of hospitalization than those aged three to six months, who themselves have twice as many hospitalizations as those six months to one year old. The heart of protection must be directed towards the most fragile, including premature babies.
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Are there any apprehensions about the possible risks of injection on the part of families?
Everyone knows bronchiolitis by name. Especially when they have already had a first child. Parents are made aware. This is a very positive element. The negative point for families is that it is a new product. You need to be completely reassured. It is a monoclonal antibody. There already existed a monoclonal antibody administered to very premature babies since 1999 of the same nature as this one, but which had the drawback of requiring many injections, which meant that it was reserved for very premature babies. There, it’s a single injection, as soon as possible after birth.