© BELGIUM
Flemish Welfare Minister Hilde Crevits (CD&V) wants a vaccine against the RSV virus for pregnant women by next winter. You 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 years of age 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 involve children under the age of two.
A vaccine can provide relief. It is given to the mother during pregnancy to produce antibodies that will be passed on to the baby. It is best to administer the vaccine after the 28th to 36th week of pregnancy. Women who will give birth next winter, from September onwards, should therefore receive it in June or July.
Develop project
Crevits has tasked the Health Department with developing a project. The Flemish working group on vaccinations must meet to provide reasoned advice on the inclusion of the vaccine in the vaccination programme. At the same time, the Health Department must issue a public tender and calculate the budget impact after negotiating with the manufacturer.
“If we succeeded, we would be the first, because no other country has started vaccination yet,” Crevits said. “There are several countries that are investigating the matter, just like us.”
“That would be a great thing,” Saeys said. “This is the leading cause of death among children under one year old worldwide.”
2024-01-16 16:06:36
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