ISLAMABAD, :A health expert on Monday stressed parents’ awareness of ‘Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)’ vaccine for pregnant women as the virus caused a major healthcare concern and resulted in the deaths of infants every year.
Dr. Mubashir Chaudhry, a public health expert from America, said “A new vaccine against potentially deadly RSV is safe and effective for use in pregnant women to help protect their babies”, while talking to a private news channel.
He explained, “RSV primarily targets infants and young children the most, adding, that symptoms can vary from mild, cold-like manifestations to severe respiratory distress”.
“Children under five could be hospitalized yearly due to RSV, he said, adding that most of the time when people were sick with RSV, they did not know it and it was just sort of grouped as a ‘flu-like illness”.
“There are two clear ways to keep infants protected against RSV, he said, adding a vaccine for pregnant women and a monoclonal antibody shot approved for all infants”.
Replying to a question, he said “RSV is known to cause respiratory symptoms and difficulty breathing in infants, leading to hospitalization and possibly death”.
“The new vaccine can be given to pregnant women during their pregnancy in the hopes that newborns will be protected in the first few months of their lives”, he mentioned.
“When a pregnant woman gets vaccinated, she can pass on key antibodies to children after they are born”, he added.
“For the first few months of a child’s life, these antibodies from their parents can help protect them against disease”, he said.
“Vaccines are meant for long-term protection and prevention”, he further mentioned.
Comments are closed.