"When the virus is trying to spread, we need to become super spreaders of the prevention message."
In this expert interview, Prof. Roy K. Philip, Consultant Neonatologist and Professor of Pediatrics at University Hospital Limerick, explains why RSV is so dangerous in the first months of life and why protection needs to be in place from the very start of life.
Roy discusses the concept of the RSV March: the predictable spread of the virus from toddlers in childcare, to vulnerable newborns at home, to grandparents at Christmas. His team's 12-year analysis of Irish data shows the peak of infection in older adults follows the toddler peak by around three to five weeks, a finding with direct implications for how we plan and resource prevention.
He also shares the remarkable results of Ireland's Pathfinder program, the first national rollout of long-acting monoclonal antibodies for newborns before hospital discharge. With uptake of around 85–90%, the program reduced children's ward admissions by up to 74%. And in Chile, where uptake was similarly high, RSV deaths in the target group fell from 13 to zero.
Roy's message is clear: we cannot predict which healthy baby will be most severely affected so the best strategy is universal prevention, alongside exclusive breastfeeding, maternal immunization, and clear, confident public communication.
Key takeaway: RSV prevention works and it needs to go viral.
