Recommending vaccination offer to pregnant women against RS virus

Pregnant women in Denmark should be offered vaccination against the RS virus in the future to protect their newborns from serious respiratory illness in the first few months of life. This recommendation comes from the Danish Health Authority based on professional assessments and advice from the Vaccination Council.

RS virus (RSV) is a common cold virus that can lead to severe illness in infants. Infants under six months old are particularly vulnerable, and each year an average of 1,300 infants under one year are hospitalized with RSV infection. Approximately 30 percent of those hospitalized require intensive care. While deaths are rare, the disease burdens the healthcare system significantly.

“RSV infection causes serious illness with numerous hospitalizations among the youngest infants each year. Based on professional review and advice from our Vaccination Council, we recommend the introduction of a new vaccination program for pregnant women to protect infants from severe RS virus,” says unit chief Kirstine Moll Harboe from the Danish Health Authority.

The vaccination is recommended for pregnant women with due dates in the autumn and winter months when the virus typically circulates. The Danish Health Authority suggests offering the vaccination during the routine prenatal check-up at week 32 with the individual’s general practitioner.

“It was also important to us that the offer could fit within routine prenatal check-ups with the general practitioner, and that pregnant women are receptive to accepting it so we can protect as many infants as possible,” adds Kirstine Moll Harboe.

The vaccination protects the child through antibodies transferred from the mother to the fetus through the placenta. The Danish Health Authority emphasizes that the vaccine has proven effectiveness and few side effects for both the pregnant woman and the child.

The recommendation has been forwarded to the Ministry of the Interior and Health, which will now decide if the vaccination should become part of the national healthcare program.

RS virus has long been a challenge for the healthcare system. There is no specific treatment, only supportive care such as oxygen therapy and nutrition. In September 2024, the WHO recommended that countries implement prevention programs against RSV in infants. Several countries, including the USA, England, France, Australia, and Luxembourg, have already implemented such initiatives.

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