Early Experience on Universal Prophylaxis in Infants against Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Facts and Expectations

During the 2023/24 season, nirsevimab significantly reduced the risk of bronchiolitis and confirmed respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in primary care, hospital, and pediatric intensive care unit admissions among infants aged 0 to 11 months, even in a season with a high community RSV burden, particularly for older infants. These findings are very useful for public health authorities to continue to implement immunization campaigns against RSV in the coming seasons. Moreover, universal immunization against RSV represents a transformative step toward reducing the burden of RSV in infants. With promising evidence from recently published studies, the expectations for a reduction of RSV-associated hospitalizations, alongside the improvement of public health outcomes and equitable access to these measures, are high. However, achieving these goals will require addressing challenges related to vaccine uptake, funding, and RSV surveillance to prompt detect resistances due to mutations of the virus. These interventions need to be integrated into public health strategies because they hold the potential to make a significant impact on infant's health worldwide.