Children with Chronic Conditions Face Increased Risk of Severe RSV Outcomes, New Research Shows

A recent study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2025 Meeting held in Honolulu from April 24 to 28 highlights the heightened vulnerability of children with chronic health conditions to severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. The research indicates that these children are significantly more likely to be hospitalized due to RSV compared to their healthy peers.

Specifically, toddlers with chronic conditions are hospitalized for RSV at twice the rate of healthy children within their initial two infection seasons. The risk is particularly high among infants born very prematurely at less than 28 weeks of gestation, as well as those with multiple organ issues, or conditions affecting the lungs, heart, or digestive system.

To mitigate this risk, researchers recommend that children with these significant health conditions should receive RSV immunizations early in their first season, regardless of maternal vaccination status. Current guidelines advise pregnant women to be vaccinated before delivery to confer passive immunity, but the study emphasizes that maternal vaccination alone may not offer sufficient protection for high-risk children.

Lead researcher Marina Viñeta Páramo from the University of British Columbia explained that many children with chronic illnesses require additional seasonal RSV immunizations beyond what maternal antibodies can provide. The findings suggest an expansion of immunization recommendations to include children up to two years old with chronic health issues.

The analysis involved data from 431,937 infants born in British Columbia, Canada, between 2013 and 2023, of whom 25,452 had chronic health conditions. The study underscores the importance of administering RSV vaccines to vulnerable children during both their first and second infection seasons to prevent severe outcomes.

This research points to the need for updated immunization strategies to protect children with chronic conditions from severe RSV disease, reducing hospitalization rates and improving health outcomes.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-children-chronic-conditions-severe-rsv.html