Wisconsin Health Officials Urge Pregnant Women, Elderly to Get RSV Vaccination After Child Deaths

Wisconsin health officials recommend pregnant women and individuals aged 60 or older to get vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), citing three child deaths and a surge in cases. (MargJohnsonVA/Shutterstock)

Health officials in Wisconsin are urging pregnant women and individuals aged 60 or older to get vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) following the deaths of three children and a surge in cases.

In a Jan. 10 press release, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) advised pregnant women to get vaccinated with the Pfizer bivalent vaccine, known as Abrysvo, to prevent their babies from picking up the virus.

Pfizer’s shot is approved for use among pregnant women between 32 weeks and 36 weeks and six days of pregnancy, and health officials say it provides protection for newborns until they are 6 months old.

“The vaccine was approved for use in 2023 and is safe and effective,” Wisconsin DHS said. “People who are pregnant should ask their health care provider if they can get the vaccine.”

A recent investigation published in the British Medical Journal found that Pfizer failed to disclose potential risks to babies in an RSV vaccine trial done on pregnant women.

In clinical trials, a dangerous hypertensive disorder known as pre-eclampsia occurred in 1.8 percent of pregnant individuals who received Abrysvo compared to 1.4 percent of pregnant individuals who received a placebo.

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However, DHS Respiratory Disease Epidemiologist Tom Haupt said the shot “provides the baby protection at a time when they could be vulnerable to serious illness.”

Monoclonal Antibody Shot in Short Supply

DHS health officials said an alternative RSV vaccine for children younger than eight months is a monoclonal antibody shot called nirsevimab, which is manufactured by Sanofi and AstraZeneca. The vaccine was approved in July last year.

However, the monoclonal antibody shot is in short supply, health officials warned.

“This is why it is especially important for people who are pregnant to get the RSV vaccine, which is readily available, to ensure their infants are protected,” DHS said in the press release.

Abrysvo is also available for all adults aged 60 and older, as is Arexvy, which is developed by GSK, formerly GlaxoSmithKline, Washington health officials said.

“Both vaccines are safe and effective,” DHS said.

Child Deaths Reported

The call from state officials comes as three children have died from RSV since Nov. 1, Washington DHS said last week.

Two of the deaths were reported in northeastern Wisconsin, and one was from southeastern Wisconsin, according to health officials, who did not provide further details.

As of Jan. 10, 1,402 people have been hospitalized with RSV this season in the state, of which 580 are children under age the age of two, DHS said.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that typically causes mild illness and symptoms such as a runny nose, coughing, and fever in most healthy adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is transmitted primarily through respiratory droplets when a person coughs or sneezes or through direct contact with a contaminated surface.

In most cases, individuals have mild symptoms and recover from RSV within a couple of weeks without the need for hospitalization.

However, in some individuals, such as older adults, infants younger than six months of age, and those with weakened immune systems, RSV can develop into a severe infection such as bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia, requiring hospitalization.

Pregnant women are also at higher risk of more serious complications from RSV.

The CDC estimates that RSV results in 2.1 million outpatient visits among children younger than five years old in the United States and 100–300 deaths in children younger than five years old every year.

Meanwhile, the health agency estimates that 60,000 to 160,000 adults aged 65 years and older are hospitalized for RSV infections each year, with the virus leading to the deaths of 6,000 to 10,000 annually among that age group.