Shanghai rolls out injection against respiratory virus for infants

Babies under 1 year old in Shanghai can receive nirsevimab injection, the world's first broadly protective option against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, designed for all infants, starting Thursday.

Several hospitals in the city, including the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, the Children's Hospital of Fudan University, and Shanghai Children's Medical Center, became the first batch of medical institutions in the city to provide the injection.

The prevention method jointly developed by Sanofi and Astra Zeneca was approved for marketing in China in December last year. It is the first and only innovative prevention method approved in the country to deal with lower respiratory tract infections caused by RSV for all infants.

A baby girl, who was born on Sept 23, got the injection at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University on Thursday, and became one of the first receivers of the injection in Shanghai.

Gu Weirong, vice-president of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, said that RSV infection could severely affect lung function in newborns and infants, who stand a higher chance of developing into severe cases after getting infected.

"Official figures showed that RSV caused more than 80 percent of respiratory viral infection cases in infants and young children in the country last year. But there existed little targeted method of prevention," said Gu.

"The novel injection provides healthcare workers and parents with a preventive measure, so that we can avoid the risk for infants to get infected as much as possible," she said.

Luo Fei, deputy director of the department of neonatology at the hospital, said that according to the product instructions, babies born at the medical institution during the RSV epidemic season from November to April of the following year can receive the injection to get protection at the first time.

The injection is also available in some other cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, as well as Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province.