An October 2026 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report indicates that universal newborn RSV immunization could cut infant hospitalizations in Europe by over half. Modeling shows immunizing 90% of newborns with monoclonal antibodies prevents 61% of RSV hospitalizations in their first two months, while maternal vaccination prevents 52%. Real-world European data confirm significant admission reductions, though national implementation strategies vary widely.
ECDC findings on universal infant RSV immunization
- ▪ECDC modeling projects that immunizing 90% of newborns with long-acting monoclonal antibodies at birth can prevent 61% of RSV-related hospitalizations in infants during their first two months of life.
- ▪ECDC modeling estimates that universal vaccination of pregnant mothers would prevent 52% of RSV hospitalizations among infants in their first two months of life.
RSV prevention programs reduce infant hospitalizations
- ▪In the United Kingdom, the RSV prevention program was linked to a 32.5% average reduction in RSV-related hospitalizations among infants aged 0–12 months across two post-implementation seasons.
- ▪In Spain, the national RSV prevention program was associated with a 66.9% average reduction in RSV-related lower respiratory tract infection hospitalizations among infants aged 0–12 months across three post-implementation seasons.
- ▪In the Netherlands, the universal RSV program was associated with a 46.4% decrease in infant RSV-related hospitalizations among infants aged 0–12 months over a single post-implementation season.
- ▪In Intensive Care Units across Spain and the United Kingdom, RSV-related ICU admissions among infants aged 0–12 months fell by 74.5% and 49.7%, respectively, after RSV prevention program implementation.
Different RSV immunization strategies across European countries
- ▪European countries have implemented long-acting monoclonal antibody immunization against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in differing ways since nirsevimab became available in 2022, according to Sanofi researcher Jeroen Geurtsen.
- ▪Spain introduced universal nirsevimab immunization for all infants in autumn 2023, while the Netherlands rolled out universal coverage in autumn 2025.
- ▪In September 2024, the United Kingdom introduced year-round maternal RSV vaccination and added nirsevimab for high-risk infants and those born before 32 weeks' gestation in September 2025.
Sanofi and LOGEX study findings
- ▪In the retrospective observational study by Sanofi and LOGEX researchers, approximately three-fifths of infants hospitalized with lower respiratory tract infections across the four analyzed seasons were male.
- ▪A retrospective observational study by Sanofi and LOGEX researchers analyzing four RSV seasons between June 2022 and May 2026 found that mean infant age at lower respiratory tract infection admission ranged from 7 to 9 months.
European survey on RSV and influenza policy criteria
- ▪Only Norway specified gestational age under 32 weeks as an eligibility criterion for childhood influenza immunization during the 2025–2026 season among 11 European countries studied.
- ▪For a child's second RSV season, Switzerland was the only European country among 11 surveyed to maintain a gestational-age-based eligibility strategy for children born before 32 weeks' gestation.
- ▪A mapping study led by Sara Marie Nilsen across 11 European nations found that only France, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland offered universal RSV protection for all infants during the 2025–2026 season.
- ▪Denmark, France, Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom provided free national maternal RSV vaccination programs during the 2025–2026 season, unlike six other surveyed European countries.
Preterm children respiratory infection risks
- ▪Sara Marie Nilsen noted that protection against respiratory syncytial virus beyond infancy remained limited across 11 European countries studied, despite preterm children facing elevated infection risks.
- ▪Extremely preterm children born before 28 weeks' gestation face a 10-fold increased risk of respiratory tract infections requiring hospitalization, extending beyond infancy into early childhood.
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