Manitoba program aimed at protecting vulnerable babies, toddlers from RSV starts early as cases rise – CBC
‘We have a lot of children … who are presenting with a lot more symptoms requiring hospital care’: doctor
Nov 09, 2022
As Manitoba sees a surge of RSV cases, a program aimed at protecting babies and toddlers at risk of getting the sickest if infected has started early this cold and flu season.
The province’s RSV prophylaxis program provides antibody treatments throughout RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, season to young children identified to be at highest risk, said Dr. Aaron Chiu, the program’s medical director and a neonatologist at Winnipeg Children’s Hospital.
“When we run into a cold virus we create antibodies to fight it next time around, or even fight that current infection,” he said.
“What this product does is that antibody that we normally make, we just give it to the babies so that they have some natural protection against it.”
RSV is a virus that affects small airways of the lungs. Symptoms can include coughing, runny nose, fever and loss of appetite, and it can also affect breathing. In severe cases, it can lead to hospitalization.
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/rsv-program-babies-toddlers-1.6644477
