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RSV Prevention
Understanding RSV
beyond the Hospital Walls
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is one of the leading causes of lower respiratory tract infections and hospitalization in infants worldwide. Yet today, severe RSV disease is increasingly preventable. With effective prevention strategies now available, the challenge is no longer whether we can protect infants; it is whether health systems can deliver that protection equitably, consistently, and at scale.
The Reality of Primary Care
RSV Prevention in Everyday Pediatric Care
Every RSV season places significant pressure on primary care physicians, pediatricians, families, and health systems. While hospitals manage the most severe cases, the burden begins much earlier: in primary care, where healthcare professionals are often the first to recognize RSV, guide families, and support prevention. Strengthening awareness, equipping healthcare professionals, and expanding access to effective prevention are essential to reducing the impact of RSV and protecting every infant.
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RSV Begins in Primary Care
Primary care physicians, pediatricians, and community healthcare professionals are often the first to identify and manage RSV, making them central to early recognition, prevention, and family education.
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The Burden Extends Beyond Hospitalization
RSV affects far more than hospital admissions. It leads to repeated healthcare visits, prolonged illness, disrupted childcare and work, and increased pressure on families and health systems.
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Trusted Healthcare Professionals Make the Difference
Parents rely on trusted healthcare professionals to understand RSV and make informed decisions. Consistent, evidence-based communication is essential to improving awareness and prevention uptake.
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Prevention Must Reach Every Infant
Effective RSV prevention strategies are now available. The priority is ensuring they are implemented equitably and reach every infant who can benefit from protection.
Key Findings from the Report
Evidence for Action
Read the Excellence in Pediatrics Institute's report to explore the latest evidence, practical recommendations, and strategies for advancing RSV prevention and protecting every infant.
2026 Report
Every Infant Needs Protection
Most infants hospitalized with RSV are healthy, full-term babies. Universal prevention is essential to protect every infant during their first RSV season.
Prevention Works
Real-world evidence shows that RSV prevention programs can dramatically reduce hospitalizations and severe disease.
Coverage Drives Impact
High coverage is essential to achieving meaningful reductions in RSV burden across communities.
Education Builds Confidence
Empowering healthcare professionals and families with clear, evidence-based information is key to successful RSV prevention.
Practical Gaps to Solve
The Evidence Behind RSV Prevention
The report identifies three critical areas that require immediate attention:
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Coverage Determines Impact
At least 70% coverage with monoclonal antibodies is needed to cut hospitalizations by more than 80%. Below that threshold, benefits are real but far smaller, coverage isn't a detail, it's what makes prevention work.
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RSV Fuels Other Infections
RSV doesn't act alone. It biologically primes the airway for pneumococcal infection, increasing the risk of pneumonia, ear infections, and antibiotic use. Preventing RSV also means preventing the diseases it enables.
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The Effects Last Beyond Infancy
Children hospitalized with RSV accumulate significantly more hospitalizations in the years that follow, with links to recurrent wheezing and asthma later in childhood. RSV's impact doesn't end when the acute illness does.
Resources
Insights, Reports & Expert Perspectives
Explore a collection of policy briefings, expert interviews, reports and newsletters from the LifeCourse Prevention Initiative.
The Hidden Burden of Respiratory Viruses in Older Adults
Respiratory viruses in older adults, the systemic consequences of infection, and the case for expanding vaccination programs as a health system imperative.
December 5, 2025
Navigating Vaccination in Marginalized and Religious Communities
How trust and mistrust shape vaccination decisions in marginalized religious communities and practical approaches to sharing responsibility for community health.
December 5, 2025
Strategies Against RSV, Influenza, and SARS-CoV-2
The burden of RSV, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2, the systemic complications these viruses trigger, and the case for lifelong integrated immunization strategies.
December 5, 2025
Treatment for Seasonal Respiratory Diseases, Diagnosis and Antibiotic Stewardship
Diagnostic uncertainty in respiratory infections and evidence-based approaches for antibiotic stewardship to combat resistance.
November 29, 2024
Trends in Respiratory Illnesses and the Landscape of Preventive Interventions
Current respiratory syncytial virus epidemiology and breakthrough preventive options, including vaccines and monoclonal antibodies across the lifecourse.
November 29, 2024
Bronchiolitis and Pneumonia in the ICU: Severe Cases and Outcomes
Clinical analysis of severe bronchiolitis and pneumonia cases requiring intensive care intervention, examining treatment protocols, long-term consequences, and strategies to improve patient outcomes.
November 29, 2024
The Burden of Bronchiolitis and Pneumonia in Primary Care
Resource utilization and clinical management of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in community settings, with practical insights for optimizing primary care response.
November 29, 2024
The Impact of Bronchiolitis and Pneumonia on Child Health and Families
The burden of bronchiolitis and pneumonia on families, emotional, financial, and social implications alongside clinical consequences.
November 29, 2024
RSV In Young Infants- New Paths for Immunisation
Approaches to protect infants from RSV, recent advancements in maternal immunization and passive antibody protection strategies for newborns.
December 1, 2023
Interview: Strategy Matters - How to Protect Every Infant
Susanna Esposito, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Parma, cuts through the debate on RSV prevention strategies with a clear bottom line: every infant needs protection — the question is how to get there.
December 5, 2025
Interview: The RSV March - Protecting Every Baby
Prof. Roy K. Philip, Consultant Neonatologist at University Hospital Limerick, explains why RSV is so dangerous in the first months of life and shares the remarkable results of Ireland's Pathfinder program, which reduced children's ward admissions by up to 74%.
December 5, 2025
Interview: The Real Burden of RSV
Dr. Marco Del Riccio, Public Health Physician at the University of Florence, makes the case that RSV is a multisystem disease — and that cardiologists, geriatricians, and policymakers need to pay attention.
December 5, 2025
Interview: RSV and Pneumococcus- A Dangerous Combination
George Syrogiannopoulos, Professor of Pediatrics and Program Committee member of EIP, brings a dimension of RSV prevention that is often overlooked: the dangerous interaction between RSV infection and pneumococcal disease.
December 5, 2025
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RSV Prevention Report 2024
This report presents findings from a survey of primary care providers and pediatricians, examining the burden of RSV across diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. It reveals rising case severity compared with prior seasons, underuse of diagnostic testing, and inconsistent vaccination recommendations. The report closes with recommendations to strengthen diagnostic capacity, standardize treatment protocols, and expand education for frontline providers.
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RSV Prevention Report 2025
This policy report presents a comprehensive, evidence-based review and policy recommendations for RSV prevention in infants and young children. It draws on epidemiological data, clinical trial results, real-world effectiveness studies and the lived experiences of families affected by RSV to present a comprehensive picture of the burden this virus imposes and the strategies available to reduce it, also addressing the important and under-recognized interaction between RSV and pneumococcal disease.
May 1, 2026
Volume VI - RSV Prevention - RSV has Consequences Beyond the Respiratory System
RSV drives pneumococcal disease and shapes lung function into adulthood. Why its lasting burden is the strongest case for early universal prevention.
July 2, 2026
Volume IV - RSV Prevention - The Evidence is Clear: Universal RSV Protection Works - But Only At High Coverage
The tools for RSV prevention work; coverage decides the impact. Multi-country evidence on reaching every infant, from the 2025 LifeCourse Prevention Summit.
May 28, 2026
Volume II - RSV Prevention - RSV is Not Just a Cold; Prevention Must Therefore be Universal
Most infants hospitalized with RSV are otherwise healthy. Why universal prevention outperforms targeted strategies - insights from the 2025 LifeCourse Summit.
May 14, 2026