The World Health Organization on Tuesday recommended maternal vaccination and the use of antibody therapy to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants.
The recommendations for administering the vaccine and the antibody, or one of them, come after the meeting of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group on Immunization last week.
For countries that decide to use the maternal vaccine, the World Health Organization said it recommends a single dose in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer’s shot has been approved in the United States and Canada for use by women during the middle of the third trimester of pregnancy to protect their babies.
Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Sanofi SASY.PA and AstraZeneca’s antibody treatment AZN.L, Beyfortus, for preventing RSV in infants and young children.
Manufacturers received approval to set up an additional manufacturing line in September for the treatment, as supply was limited.
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The WHO Strategic Advisory Group also cited supply concerns as well as the high cost of antibody therapy, which it said could seriously limit global access to and equity in treatment.
Respiratory syncytial virus usually causes cold-like symptoms, but it is also a major cause of pneumonia in young children and older adults.
