Study: jab cuts infant hospitalisations for respiratory infection
A single dose of a treatment for a respiratory infection in babies can help cut hospital admissions by more than 80%, a study found.
The HARMONIE study found an 83% reduction of hospitalisations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants who had an injection of antibody nirsevimab, a paper in The New England Journal of Medicine reports.
The study of more than 8,000 infants in the UK and Europe also found a 76% drop in hospitalisations for severe chest infections caused by RSV.
A total 335 participated in hospitals and the community in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire. Parental consent was required.
The virus is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation in all infants worldwide and affects 90% of children before the age of two. Symptoms include runny nose, coughing, fever, wheezing and sneezing.
Read more about the results on the website of Sanofi, which sponsored the study and the New England Journal of Medicine.
