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“The vaccine authorized yesterday for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is 85% effective in the elderly and frail: better than the flu shot. It will be done in the autumn, but we don’t yet know if it will be needed every year, studies are underway: in fact, the respiratory syncytial virus does not have great variability. The over 60s will certainly benefit from it, especially those who are frail due to lung and heart diseases, immunosuppression and renal insufficiency”. This was stated by Paolo Bonanni, professor of general and applied hygiene, University of Florence, commenting to beraking latest news Salute the news of the approval in Europe of Arexvy, the first vaccine to protect the over 60s from this lower respiratory tract infection.
RSV disease “is known much more for its pediatric damage than in the elderly – explains the expert – It is the virus that causes bronchiolitis in children, in the first months of life, and which we try to prevent in various ways, but there is also in older people. In Western countries there are over 470,000 cases of illness a year, especially pneumonia, and at least 33,000 deaths”. It is “a little known pathology – adds Bonanni – In the absence of effective tools for the prevention and treatment of a disease, we tend to forget it. Of course, this virus has a rather particular name – he reflects – so defined due to the fact that it creates syncytia, that is, it causes the fusion of the cells it infects. During the flu season, we see cases that look alike clinically, but aren’t. Until now, in the absence of preventive tools, respiratory disease experts have limited themselves to doing what they could. Now, with the vaccine, it is possible to prevent this pathology in the elderly and frail subjects.
Returning to children, “the important thing is to protect them in the first months of life – underlines Bonanni – At the moment we have 2 approaches: monolocal antibodies to be administered directly to the hospital in the child born in winter and which could be administered in October if born in summer, i.e. before the start of the RSV season, which is the winter one. We must protect the little ones – she reiterates – we would like to administer it to everyone: newborns are all at risk. Then there are also vaccinations during pregnancy, but this is especially true for children born in winter”, concludes the expert.