Surveys of 400 health care professionals found most pediatricians and obstetrician/gynecologists (OB/GYN) had offered immunizations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to their patients and expressed confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the products.
A report released Nov. 15 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 77% of pediatricians had offered nirsevimab (Beyfortus), a monoclonal antibody,to protect infants from RSV. It also found the RSV vaccine was offered to pregnant patients by 63% of OB/GYNs.
RSV, which typically circulates from fall through spring, causes acute respiratory tract infections and can cause severe illness in infants and children with certain health conditions. It is the leading cause of infant hospitalizations in the United States.
The October 2024 surveys of 200 pediatricians and 200 OB/GYNs also measured practitioners’ attitudes toward RSV immunization and asked about the challenges they faced in recommending it.
The vast majority of pediatricians agreed that nirsevimab is safe (96.5%) and effective (95.5%). Their top challenges in recommending it included parent/caregiver concerns about safety (44%), determining parent vaccination status (33.5%), financial burden on the caregiver (30.5%) and health insurance reimbursement issues (30.5%).
Similarly, a majority of OB/GYNs agreed that RSV vaccination for the pregnant parent is safe (92%) and effective (93.5%) in protecting the infant. Their top challenges in recommending it included patient safety concerns (65.5%), cost and reimbursement issues (46%) and patient concerns about effectiveness (28%).
While doctors are largely confident in RSV immunizations, their use is still lacking, according to the CDC’s report; just 56% of infants were protected against RSV according to a spring 2024 survey. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends all infants be protected from RSV disease by either nirsevimab or vaccination of the pregnant parent.
The CDC encourages health care practitioners to use online resources and educational videos in communicating the safety and effectiveness of these options to their patients, and to document all immunization records in electronic health records (EHR) and immunization information systems (IIS).
Most private health insurance plans now cover nirsevimab and RSV vaccines, though the CDC report notes some coverage may not begin until January.
Nirsevimab is recommended for infants under 8 months during their first RSV season and high-risk toddlers 8-19 months.
