82% cut in severe illness
Middlemore Hospital has been involved in global research into a vaccine for pregnant mothers against the RSV virus.
The Aotearoa Clinical Trials team took part in the study and clinical director Dr John Baker said the results were important in areas that are hit hard by the virus every year, such as south Auckland.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes infections in the lungs and respiratory tracts.
The global clinical trial found an 82% reduction in infants needing medical treatment for severe lower respiratory tract infections because of RSV during their first 90 days after their mothers were vaccinated during pregnancy.
‘‘With most drugs or vaccines, a 15% change would be considered significant,’’ Baker said.
‘‘So this is an outstanding result.’’
He said the findings released in the New England Journal of Medicine last month were preliminary findings from the study, which was conducted in several countries and further research would be done on the data.
The clinical trial used a vaccine developed by Pfizer for pregnant mothers, which was designed to help boost the immunity of their children after birth. The women who took part in the study were immunised at between 24 and 36 weeks of pregnancy. Overall, 3682 participants in 18 countries received the vaccine and 3676 were given a placebo.
Baker said there was currently no vaccine available for the virus but the study’s findings showed pregnant mothers could greatly reduce the risk of their infants being hospitalised with RSV if they were given the trial vaccine during pregnancy.
For healthy adults and older children, symptoms are often mild and are very similar to the common cold. However, for infants the virus can lead to more serious illnesses, including bronchiolitis and pneumonia.. Children with underlying health issues can become seriously ill and require hospitalisation.
Symptoms of the virus include a runny nose, coughing or sneezing, a fever, wheezing and difficulty breathing and a loss of appetite or difficulty feeding due to breathlessness.
Baker said preventing young children contracting RSV was importantbecause it could lead to long-term lung damage.
He said the condition was common in lower socioeconomic communities such as south Auckland, where people often lived in overcrowded and damp housing.
University of Auckland vaccinologist Dr Helen PetousisHarris said the trial results were an important step in tackling a virus which puts pressure on the health system every year.
‘‘It’s taken a very long time to get an RSV vaccine we can use to prevent severe infections in infants,’’ she said.
Petousis-Harris said the vaccine worked by stimulating the mother’s antibodies, which were then passed onto the child.
She said Pfizer would need to apply to MedSafe for approval for the vaccine to be used in New Zealand, but the trial results were promising.