| Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash
NEW YORK (NAPSI)—When I started as a nurse practitioner, I saw pediatric wards fill each winter with children suffering from common infections that cause rotavirus diarrhea and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Since then, following the introduction of the rotavirus vaccine nearly two decades ago, hospital visits for rotavirus have notably decreased.
Protecting Newborns Now
Today, we are in a similar position to help prevent RSV through a maternal vaccine to protect infants at birth. Getting vaccinated while pregnant helps your body create protective antibodies to pass on to your baby. These antibodies can help protect your baby from diseases such as RSV during the first few months of life when they are most vulnerable.
While RSV can usually cause cold-like symptoms, it can be dangerous in infants and young children and is the leading cause of infant hospitalization in the United States. RSV season usually starts in the fall and peaks in the winter in most regions, so the vaccine is typically given from September through January. Because the RSV vaccine is administered seasonally, the protection passed to the baby will last for their first RSV season.
The good news is that if you or a loved one is pregnant, the maternal RSV vaccine is available now at no out-of-pocket cost through almost all insurance plans, including Medicaid and employer-sponsored plans. You should receive the maternal RSV vaccine during weeks 32 through 36 of pregnancy if you are pregnant between September and January.
Vaccines have been recommended during pregnancy for decades and are our most effective tool against preventable respiratory diseases. They are also a critical part of routine prenatal care, adding an important line of defense against severe respiratory diseases that can leave pregnant people and their babies at an increased risk of complications. The maternal RSV vaccine can be administered during the same visit as you may receive other vaccines during pregnancy, including Tdap, flu, or COVID-19.
All recommended vaccines are held to the highest safety standards—meaning they are carefully studied and monitored for side effects. Having worked for 20 years in community health centers in underserved areas, I have witnessed firsthand the protection that maternal vaccinations provide. At one clinic, we even implemented a “cocooning” approach, vaccinating the entire family against flu to help protect newborns who are too young for vaccines. Ensuring the pregnant mother, father, siblings, and grandparents received their flu shots, we worked to minimize the risk of influenza spreading within families.
These days, we can go a step further by providing early RSV protection to newborns during their first months of life. If you or a loved one is pregnant, ask your healthcare provider about the maternal RSV vaccine and other recommended maternal vaccines. Maternal vaccination is a powerful way to help strengthen your baby’s immunity and share protection before birth.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Norwick is with the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health.
