- A monoclonal antibody treatment used to prevent RSV is now available to infants at St. Luke's University Health Network
- The injections are intended for children up to 8-months-old
- RSV symptoms are similar to a cold in most children and adults, but can become severe
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A new shot to battle one of the most common serious ailments in babies now is available to infants in the Lehigh Valley through St. Luke’s University Health Network.
RSV, which stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, presents as a cold in most children and adults, but it can become more severe to some.
It can be especially dangerous for the very young, the elderly and those who have an underlying health condition.
A monoclonal antibody therapy called Beyfortus now is being administered at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Bethlehem.
“This is the kind of new, game-changing medical advance that pediatricians dream about.”Dr. Jennifer Janco, Pediatrics chair, St. Luke's University Health Network
The treatment was approved in August for children under eight months old or up to 24 months if they are high-risk.
“This is the kind of new, game-changing medical advance that pediatricians dream about,” St. Luke’s Pediatrics Chairwoman Dr. Jennifer Janco said.
“Because RSV is the most common serious ailment that has long plagued babies and now finally we have a really effective tool to fight it.”
Different from a vaccine
Janco said the therapy is given through a shot, but is different from a vaccine.
"A vaccine is something that is given in many different ways, oftentimes by injection, and it helps the body create antibodies against the disease we're trying to protect from,” Janco said when Beyfortus was approved last summer.
“With a monoclonal antibody, it is a neutralizing antibody. We're actually injecting that antibody through what's called passive immunization, as opposed to active immunization."Dr. Jennifer Janco, Pediatrics chair, St. Luke's University Health Network
“With a monoclonal antibody, it is a neutralizing antibody. We're actually injecting that antibody through what's called passive immunization, as opposed to active immunization.
"When I give a vaccine, then I'm giving something where the body actively makes its own antibodies.”
St. Luke’s released a list of frequently asked questions about the treatment, which said monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses.
Unlike a vaccine, monoclonal antibodies do not activate the immune system; they protect against disease.
St. Luke's officials said babies can get the injection at the time of birth or during an outpatient visit.
In addition to the monoclonal antibody therapy, two RSV vaccines were approved this year and are being administered throughout the Lehigh Valley for older adults and pregnant people.
A typical RSV season runs from early fall through the spring.
