by Greg Lincoln
The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation worked in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and other organizations to publish a study about the effectiveness of nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody that provides direct antibodies against RSV to infants. Nirsevimab reduces risk of severe RSV for American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) children, a population that has experienced high rates of RSV.
The study is about the effectiveness of Nirsevimab against RSV illness and hospitalization among Alaska Native children in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region dated October 2023 – June 2024.
According to the study, which was released last Thursday, November 14th, 2024:
•Nirsevimab reduced the risk of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated hospitalization by 89% for AI/AN infants in their first RSV season. Nirsevimab reduced the risk of RSV illness requiring a medical visit by 76% for children in their first RSV season and 88% in the second RSV season.
•RSV is a leading cause of hospitalization among young children. AI/AN children in some communities have historically experienced high rates of RSV-associated hospitalization because of household conditions (e.g., household crowding, indoor air pollution, lack of in-home piped water) that can contribute to RSV transmission and severity. This evaluation in Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region provides the first real-world estimates of nirsevimab effectiveness in preventing RSV illness requiring medical visits and hospitalization among AI/AN children. Investigators evaluated nirsevimab effectiveness in 472 AI/AN children aged younger than 20 months at the start of the RSV season who had medical visits or hospitalizations for acute respiratory illness in this region during the 2023–24 RSV season.
•To protect against severe RSV, nirsevimab is recommended for all infants in their first RSV season who are not protected through maternal RSV vaccination and for children entering their second season with increased risk of severe RSV illness, including all AI/AN children. Parents: Talk to your health care provider about how to protect your child against severe RSV disease. Clinicians: To protect against severe RSV, nirsevimab should be administered during the RSV season (between October and March) to all infants younger than 8 months if their mother did not receive the RSV vaccine during pregnancy. It should also be administered to children aged 8-19 months who are at increased risk for severe RSV, including all AI/AN children.
CDC continues to monitor the safety and effectiveness of nirsevimab and the maternal RSV vaccine. CDC works to overcome persistent health disparities and health inequities.
