Bronchiolitis in newborns, "vaccine" for all in only four regions

Only four Regions have achieved complete immunization of newborns from the respiratory syncytial virus: Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto and Sicily, while in Valle D'Aosta, Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Emilia Romagna, Liguria, Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Puglia and Calabria only partial coverage was achieved, which involved children born in the months starting from April, July and August 2024 on the basis of local resolutions. Access to vaccination was then even more reduced in the Marche, Umbria, Abruzzo, Molise, Basilicata and Sardinia, where vaccination began for children born from November to March.

The updated map drawn up after an initial work carried out by the Italian Society of Pediatrics is by Cittadinanzattiva which with the Instant 'Vrs Observatory - Fair Access to Prevention' takes stock of the application of the Circular of the Ministry of Health which over a year ago - after the initial chaos on the green light to the monoclonal antibody that allows immunization, which initially it was considered not to authorize in the Regions in the recovery plan - gave the "go-ahead" to the change of pace for everyone in the 2024-2025 season for vaccination against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), responsible for bronchiolitis that leads to hospitalizations and even serious consequences for the health of newborns and for their subsequent development.

Worldwide, RSV causes approximately 3.5 million hospitalizations and 100,000 deaths each year among children under 5 years of age. In Italy, it is estimated that over 80,000 children in their first year of life are visited for causes related to RSV infection: approximately 15,000 of them require hospitalization and approximately 3,000 require intensive care. Among the over-60s, the virus is responsible for approximately 290,000 acute respiratory infections, 26,000 hospitalizations and 1,800 deaths.

Even today we are not there, as regional data and not only on newborns show: "also the protection of newborns through vaccination of pregnant women is behind - Cittadinanzattiva points out - the offer was only provided in Sicily and Molise".

While for other categories at risk, frail adults and the elderly, no extended prevention offer has been activated in the 2024-2025 season: only a few sporadic isolated cases, such as in Genoa which made 500 doses available in February 2024 through a micro-campaign for the over-60s or in Syracuse which from October 2024 to February 2025 added the vaccine against the respiratory syncytial virus to the traditional vaccines.