The violent RSV season is coming to an end

This is also confirmed by Bernhard Resch from the Neonatology Department of MedUni Graz: “In principle we had the same schedule as before Covid-19, but very, very many admissions and referrals to the pediatric intensive care unit.” many hospital admissions and serious ones among seniors. This is evident from a report from the Austrian Association of Vaccine Manufacturers (ÖVIH) on Tuesday.

Season a little earlier and in case of flu
The season was slightly postponed to the beginning of the year compared to immediately after the pandemic and ran at the same time as the flu epidemic. Most hospital admissions were registered in early February, when the positive rate of samples submitted was 20 percent – from ten percent an epidemic situation is considered: after a few RSV-related hospital stays in October, admissions rose to more than 450 in just one week in February, of which 13 were in intensive care.

Often serious consequences for babies and seniors
Resch described the case of a premature baby who became infected in hospital: “The child’s condition deteriorated enormously after just a few hours, even though he was about to be discharged. The boy was taken to the pediatric intensive care unit and required intubation and ventilation for two weeks. He then had to stay in intensive care for weeks, while the unaffected twin sister had been home for five weeks. In Vienna even a seven-month-old baby died.

In working-age adults, RSV usually manifests as a ‘cold’ with cough and runny nose. In older people, bronchitis, pneumonia and worsening of existing heart and lung diseases may occur. According to ÖVIH, there are approximately 145,000 hospital admissions due to RSV in people over 65 in the EU every year, of which 2,300 are in Austria.

According to Stefan Winkler, deputy. As head of the clinical department of Infections and Tropical Medicine at MedUni Vienna, RSV and influenza are now equally problematic for the elderly. “A lot of people are sick all winter now. First they have Corona, which weakens their immune system. Then they get sick with flu – because many are not vaccinated – and then with RSV.” An RSV infection can be life-threatening, especially for people with previous lung disease.

Vaccines available, but expensive
Vaccines for seniors and pregnant women have been available since the fall of 2023. According to the ÖVIH, the two vaccines for people over 60 have shown high effectiveness against severe RSV in the approval studies, and one has also been approved for pregnant women. The mother’s antibodies are transferred to the unborn child via the placenta. In Austria, there is passive immunization for “children at risk” that must be administered once a month. A long-acting monoclonal antibody against RSV has already been approved at EU level and is administered only once per season. Discussions are ongoing in Austria. Another long-acting monoclonal RSV antibody is still in development.

There are therefore opportunities “to reduce the disease burden caused by RSV in Austria. They should only be used accordingly,” says the ÖVIH. However, the RSV vaccines, which were available for the first time last year, must be paid for yourself and cost well over 200 euros.