Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections has been prevalent with babies under six months of age and a crucial factor for infants to be hospitalized. In an attempt, to protect the babies from serious RSV infections, the Canadian Healthcare has prompted effective measures to curb the infections.
Health Canada approved a new vaccine aimed at protecting two of the groups most vulnerable to serious outcomes from the common virus – infants and older adults. The Pfizer Canada vaccine, called Abrysvo, is the second approved vaccine to target seniors aged 60 and older – the first, produced by GSK, was approved last year by Health Canada.
But Abrysvo is also approved for pregnant women — the first vaccine which is aimed to protect young babies through maternal vaccination.
This is the first time we can help infants, said Dr. Darine El-Chaar, a maternal-fetal medicine physician at The Ottawa Hospital.
It works the way other vaccines, including one for whooping cough — work, by passing maternal antibodies to the fetus through the placenta, something which gives protection early in the newborn’s life.
That could be a game-changer, especially in parts of Canada’s North that have among the highest rates of RSV in the world, said El-Chaar. Even though there is usually a specific season for RSV in southern Canada (although the pandemic has shifted it slightly), RSV can circulate during the year in the Far North, El-Chaar said.
It can be quite upsetting. Patients are mostly on oxygen support and need help for feeding. For a young family it is a stay in the hospital, until their infant recovers from the lung infection.
El-Chaar, who was on the advisory board for the vaccine in Canada, pointed out it would be preferable for the vaccine to be cost covered for all pregnant women in Canada’s Far North. Some of the sickest babies from Nunavut end up hospitalized in Ottawa, which is a tertiary health center for parts of Nunavut.
The Abrysvo vaccine needs to be approved by NACI (the National Advisory Committee on Immunization), an important step before provinces would make it available. El-Chaar said she hopes it will be available well in advance of next year’s RSV season, and as soon as possible.
According to a spokesperson, Pfizer has not confirmed an availability date for Abrysvo but is assessing the timeline and is committed to bring supply of this medicine to Canadians as soon as possible.
It is part of a revolution in the treatment of RSV, a virus many individuals had never heard of before 2022 when a spike in severe cases overwhelmed some pediatric hospitals and made headlines. When an adult gets RSV, they usually have a mild cold-like illness, but for babies, with tiny airways, an initial infection can be severe.
In the fall of 2022, CHEO was among hospitals overwhelmed by the number of very sick infants, which forced it to create temporary critical care units around the hospital. President and CEO Alex Munter has previously said he visited one of those pop-up critical care units and was shocked to learn that the oldest child there was just eight weeks old.
Until now, for infants there has been one antibody treatment at the highest risk of poor outcomes from RSV, including premature infants with underdeveloped lungs and children with other health problems. That treatment, Palivizumab, is a monoclonal antibody which has short-term protection to the most vulnerable. Monthly it is injected during RSV season.
Last April, Health Canada authorized another monoclonal antibody. Nirsevimab also offers passive immunity to babies and only needs to be given once a season, but is not yet available in Canada. In the United States, where it’s been used, it is in short supply, said El-Chaar. It is less expensive and longer lasting than Palivizumab, she said.
El-Chaar said in recent years, the attention RSV has will make it easier for her to communicate with pregnant patients about getting vaccinated to protect their infants, when the vaccine is available.
We generally don’t talk about it a lot. People only got to know about this only when they had an infant infected. But last year, because of the triple-demic, there was a lot of buzz about RSV. It is unfortunate because we had to go through that.
Details about who will be appropriate for the vaccine and who will pay for it are yet not known.
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/health-canada-approves-rsv-vaccine-for-pregnant-people
