Data Shows RSV Vaccine Given to Pregnant Women Protects Newborns

A new study finds that vaccinating¹ pregnant women for RSV was effective in protecting their newborns from the sickness.

RSV stands for respiratory syncytial virus. It affects the body's breathing system. RSV is most common in babies, but can also affect adults. Most of the time it only causes minor² sickness such as runny nose and cough. But in serious cases it can lead to life-threatening disease in some babies and older people.

American drug maker³ Pfizer did the study. It announced the results Tuesday. The study subjects were given the vaccine⁴ in the second half of their pregnancy⁵ terms.

The company said its RSV vaccine was nearly 82 percent effective in preventing severe cases of the virus during the first 90 days of a baby's life. At six months of age, the vaccine was found to be 69 percent effective against serious sickness, the study found.

Pfizer said there were no signs of safety problems in mothers or babies.

The company said the study showed the vaccine was most effective against severe disease. For milder sickness, the rate of effectiveness dropped to between 51 to 57 percent.

In the United States, RSV leads to the hospitalization of about 58,000 children younger than age 5 each year. Several hundred children die. About 177,000 adults 65 and older are hospitalized with RSV each year and it kills about 14,000.

Worldwide, about 100,000 children a year die from RSV, most of them in poor countries.

Pfizer said it plans to seek government approval of its RSV vaccine by the end of 2022. If approved, Pfizer's shot could become the first vaccine given to mothers to prevent RSV in young children.

British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is also working on developing a vaccine against RSV.

Both companies recently announced their shots have also shown good results protecting older people.

Kena Swanson is vice⁶ president of Pfizer's viral vaccines⁷ division. She told Reuters news agency that a vaccine given to mothers "takes advantage of the ability to protect the infant from day one." Swanson added that the results are important because they showed the vaccine is highly effective at protecting babies at "the peak of hospitalization," at around one to two months of age.

Children's hospitals in parts of the U.S. have been reporting worrying levels of RSV cases. While the latest findings will not be able to help that situation, they do raise hopes that one or more vaccines might become available before next fall's RSV season.

"My fingers are crossed," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University. "We're making inroads," he added.

Words in This Story

take advantage of – phr. to use the good things in a situation

peak – n. the highest level or value of something

inroads – n. to start becoming successful at something

1 vaccinating   

给…接种疫苗( vaccinate的现在分词 )； 注射疫苗，接种疫苗

参考例句：

• At first blush, vaccinating the wolves against rabies seems a simple solution. 乍一看来，为狼群注射防狂犬病疫苗是一种简单的办法。
• Also vaccinating children against misers (measles) has saved many lives. 还有，给儿童进行疫苗接种防止麻疹也挽救了许多生命。

2 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

3 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

4 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

5 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。