Quebec Ministry of Health Announces Universal Public Program with Beyfortus® this Upcoming RSV Season
The public program will also cover newborns and infants with health conditions that put them at increased risk of complications, including those born premature or living in isolated communities up to 8 months of age and high-risk newborns and infants up to 8 months of age during their first RSV season or under 19 months of age during their second RSV season.i
According to
General Manager, Vaccines,
"This is a historic moment in
Division Director, Pediatric Infectious Diseases,
"Coming off the heels of the post-pandemic huge RSV seasons, dealing with our triple-demic issues (of Influenza, RSV and Covid), and superimposed on the many decades of known seasonal surges of RSV, this announcement for Nirsevimab provides the opportunity to protect all infants against severe RSV, and not just the high-risk premature babies and those with serious respiratory or cardiac conditions. This product, and roll out to the population, will not only decrease medically attended visits due to RSV infection (clinics, ER etc.), but it will also ease the growing demand for admission to hospital. RSV is the number one reason for hospital bed occupancy in hospitals that look after children during the late fall and early winter seasons. This is a huge step forward."
RSV, a highly contagious virus, can lead to respiratory illness in babies, including lung infections such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia.v Approximately 2 out of 3 infants are infected by RSV by their first birthday and almost all infants are infected by the age of 2.vi Infants under 1 year are on average almost 16 times more likely to be hospitalized for RSV than for influenza.[vii] The majority of RSV hospitalizations occur in infants without risk factors. A recent study showed among infants hospitalized for RSV, 80% were previously healthy and born at term.viii
About Beyfortus ®
Beyfortus® is a single-dose, long-acting antibody designed to help prevent RSV lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) for neonates and infants during their first RSV season. Beyfortus® is also indicated for children up to 24 months of age who remain vulnerable to severe RSV disease through their second RSV season. Beyfortus® offers timely protection against RSV lower respiratory tract disease lasting at least 5 months, to coincide with the RSV season.
Beyfortus® is administered directly to neonates and infants as a single dose and offers rapid protection via an antibody to help prevent LRTD caused by RSV, without requiring activation of the immune system. Beyfortus® administration can be timed to the start of the RSV season.
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i
Régis de l'assurance maladie : Nirsevimab. Accessed |
ii
Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux: BEYFORTUSMC: Prévention des infections graves par le virus respiratoire syncytial chez l'enfant. Accessed |
iii Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux : BEYFORTUSMC : Prévention des infections graves par le virus respiratoire syncytial chez l'enfant. Consulté le 11 avril 2024. Extrait d'avis au ministre sur Beyfortus (inesss.qc.ca) |
iv Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux : BEYFORTUSMC : Prévention des infections graves par le virus respiratoire syncytial chez l'enfant. Consulté le 11 avril 2024. Extrait d'avis au ministre sur Beyfortus (inesss.qc.ca) |
v
Public Health Agency of |
vi
Simoes EAF. |
vii
Demont C et al. BMC Infect Dis 2021; 21(1) : 730, |
viii Pisesky et al. PloS one 11.3 (2016): e0150416 |
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