For a few months now, The vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is part of the National Vaccination Schedule and must be applied free and mandatory, between weeks 32 and 36.6 days of gestation during the virus circulation season.
This is the bivalent recombinant vaccine against the RSV-A and RSV-B variants, which protects against RSV, considered the main cause of Low Acute Respiratory Infections (LRTI) in girls and boys under one year of age.
The evidence indicates that a dose of the aforementioned vaccine between week 32 and 36.6 days of gestation protects newborns – through the transfer of antibodies through the placenta – from the aforementioned virus during the most vulnerable period, which is the first 6 months of life.
It is a vaccine for intramuscular application, with a single dose schedule in each pregnancy. Additionally, this vaccine can be co-administered with any of the other vaccines indicated during pregnancy (triple acellular bacterial, anti-flu and COVID-19).
Being part of the National Vaccination Calendar, It is not necessary to have a medical indication, although to access the vaccine it is essential to prove gestational agewhich can be done by presenting the pregnancy control card or with a certificate from the professional that certifies it.
RSV infection can present in various forms, from mild symptoms to more severe symptoms. In infants, girls and young boys, infection with this virus can progress to inflammation of the smaller airways (bronchiolitis), causing respiratory difficulty that can progress to serious conditions.
Although bronchiolitis is the most common severe manifestation, RSV infections are associated with a increased long-term risk of recurrent wheezing and development of asthma.
Furthermore, globally, RSV causes about 30 million episodes of SARI and more than 50,000 deaths annually in children under 5 years of age.
In this context, prevention tools are used to mitigate the impact on the most vulnerable population, such as the use of monoclonal antibodies in infants and vaccination in pregnant people.
Along these lines, in Argentina The monoclonal antibody palivizumab has been used since 2014, indicated for around 3,000 premature infants and those with heart disease, per year; strategy that fails to have a general impact on RSV infection in childhood.
For this reason, it was decided to expand the possibility of protection for infants under 6 months of age by vaccinating pregnant people, between weeks 32 and 36, 6 days of gestation, during the virus circulation season.
Where to get the vaccine in Río Negro and Neuquén
The Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine remains available until July in all vaccination centers in the province of Río Negro and Neuquén, as reported by the Ministries of Health. The application is free and should not be attended with medical indication.
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