Flemish Minister of Welfare Hilde Crevits (CD&V) wants a vaccine against the RSV virus for pregnant women by next winter. She said this in parliament after a question from Freya Saeys (Open Vld).
According to one estimate, the number of RSV infections in Belgian children under five is around 14,500 per year, of which 3,200 to 3,600 require hospitalization. About half of infections and three quarters of hospital admissions affect children under the age of two.
A vaccine can provide relief. It is given to the mother during pregnancy so that she produces antibodies that are passed on to the baby. The vaccine is best administered after 28 to 36 weeks of pregnancy. Women who give birth next winter, from September onwards, should therefore receive it in June or July.
Crevits has commissioned the Healthcare Department to develop a project. The Flemish vaccination working group must meet to provide substantiated advice on the inclusion of the vaccine in the vaccination schedule. At the same time, the Healthcare Department must issue a public tender and calculate the budgetary impact after negotiating with the producer.
“If we succeed, we would be the first, because no other countries have started vaccination yet,” Crevits said. “There are a number of countries that are investigating it, just like us.”
“That would be a very good thing,” said Saeys. “This is the biggest cause of death in children under one year old worldwide.”
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