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January 20, 2026<\/p>\n
4 min read<\/p>\n
Add Us On Google<\/span>Add SciAm<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n RSV is surging\u2014antibody shots and vaccines can protect babies<\/p>\n Cases of respiratory syncytial virus are increasing, but vaccines and antibody shots can keep young children out of the hospital<\/p>\n By Lauren J. Young edited by Tanya Lewis<\/span><\/p>\n Nirsevimab (Beyfortus) is one of two available RSV monoclonal antibody shots in the U.S.<\/p>\n FRED TANNEAU\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n Winter illnesses are slamming the U.S. A mutant influenza variant is sending scores of people to hospitals, 32 children have died from flu so far this season, whooping cough has killed more than a dozen people, and now respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is surging.<\/p>\n RSV season in the U.S. typically peaks in January and February, with cases often stretching well into March. National emergency room visits and hospitalizations from the virus in kids ages four and younger have dipped slightly but are growing overall in more than a dozen states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s latest report on January 16. Overall RSV activity is climbing in many regions; national wastewater surveillance sites\u2014which can forecast future waves of infection in communities\u2014have detected the virus at high concentrations.<\/p>\n \u201cRSV is a really big problem, but we have really effective interventions,\u201d says Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatrician at the Stanford University School of Medicine.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n New studies that show RSV vaccination during pregnancy and doses of protective antibodies given to babies in the first eight months of life are both highly effective at preventing severe illness in infants. That protection may even last beyond one RSV season. But the CDC is currently reporting suboptimal RSV vaccination coverage for children and adults\u2014and experts worry those rates will continue to suffer given recent reductions in childhood vaccine recommendations overall. Plus, unfounded doubts about RSV immunization fueled by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., may set the stage for a more dangerous RSV season.<\/p>\n Nearly everyone gets infected with RSV at some point in their lives. For most healthy individuals, it causes a bad cough, runny nose or fever. The virus can also cause severe illness and long-term complications in older adults. And infections can be particularly life-threatening for young children: the virus is the number one cause of hospitalizations for infants in the U.S.\u2014with the highest risk during the first two months of life. In babies, RSV can cause severe lung infection, or pneumonia, and, in extreme cases, death.<\/p>\n \u201cRSV is a virus that causes the body to secrete a lot of mucus that can get trapped in those tiny airways of little babies and cause a lot of problems with breathing,\u201d says Ruth Karron, a pediatrician and director of the Johns Hopkins Vaccine Initiative. \u201cKids who are otherwise healthy can actually wind up requiring ventilator support. It\u2019s a really serious disease.\u201d<\/p>\n Luckily, in 2023 two very effective tools became available in the U.S. that protect newborns, who lack fully developed immune systems, from RSV during the early months of life. The vaccine for pregnant people\u2014which is recommended, during the RSV season, to be given between 32 and 36 weeks\u2019 gestation\u2014boosts antibodies to the virus that transfer to the fetus via the placenta. These antibodies target a surface protein on the virus, stopping it from binding to human cells.<\/p>\n If a pregnant person doesn\u2019t get the vaccine or isn\u2019t eligible during RSV season, babies can receive protective antibodies directly through monoclonal antibody shots in the first months of life. These shots are not vaccines. One dose of either of the two available monoclonal shots, nirsevimab (Beyfortus) or clesrovimab (Enflonsia), is recommended for infants eight months and younger\u2014and should be given right before RSV season to ensure protection lasts throughout the months the virus is most active. A second dose may be given to older, higher-risk children, such as those who were born premature.<\/p>\n \u201cBabies who get either the vaccine or the monoclonal antibody can be protected against RSV for as long as six months and potentially longer,\u201d Maldonado says.<\/p>\n Both options are highly effective and safe, but recent studies suggest that the monoclonal antibodies might have some additional benefits over vaccination.<\/p>\n A large recent study in France found that the antibody shot nirsevimab was associated with a lower risk of hospitalization and severe complications from RSV than the vaccine given in utero. That difference became more apparent in later follow-ups, beyond the first month of life, says pharmacoepidemiologist Marie Joelle Jabagi, lead author of the study. \u201cThis suggests that duration and timing of protection may play an important role in real-world effectiveness, particularly during a full RSV season,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n One explanation for the results could be because nirsevimab provides direct, immediate immunity to the infant and relatively uniform antibody levels. By contrast, protection from the vaccine depends on the timing of vaccination and how efficiently the antibodies transfer across the placenta, Jabagi says.<\/p>\n Another study published last week found that nirsevimab reduced first-time RSV hospitalizations in infants in Spain by 86 percent during the 2023\u20132024 season. The data also suggest that protection in some babies even lasted into the following season.<\/p>\n Experts emphasize, however, that even if these recent studies show that nirsevimab may offer greater and longer-lasting protection, the vaccine for pregnant people is still a very effective tool for preventing severe RSV. \u201cI think all these products are phenomenal,\u201d Karron says. \u201cIf they are used appropriately, they could really have a huge impact on RSV hospitalization.\u201d<\/p>\n That impact is already being felt in the U.S.: in the 2024\u20132025 season\u2014the first season after both the vaccine and nirsevimab became available\u2014RSV hospitalization rates dropped as much as 43 percent in children aged zero to seven months old. But experts fear this momentum could sputter under the Trump administration\u2019s recent rehaul of the childhood vaccine schedule. The recommendations for the maternal RSV vaccine and monoclonal antibody doses technically remain unchanged but place a greater emphasis on high-risk infants. Karron worries the language may confuse some parents.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have a full-term healthy baby, you don\u2019t think of that baby as a high-risk child. If you\u2019re reading this and it says \u2018only high-risk children,\u2019 it\u2019s an incredible deterrent,\u201d she says. \u201cWe really hope that these products continue to be used so that we can keep kids healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, I\u2019d like to ask for your support. Scientific American<\/span> has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a Scientific American<\/span> subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm <\/span>always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.<\/p>\n If you subscribe to Scientific American<\/span>, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.<\/p>\n In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.<\/p>\n There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you\u2019ll support us in that mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" January 20, 2026 4 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm RSV is surging\u2014antibody shots and vaccines can protect babies Cases of respiratory syncytial virus are increasing, but vaccines and antibody shots can keep young children out of the hospital By Lauren J. 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