WHO suggests passive immunization against RSV through maternal vaccination.

The WHO Strategic Advisory Group on Immunization (SAGE) announced on Tuesday its recommendation that countries introduce passive immunization against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) through vaccination of mothers and monoclonal antibodies to infants to prevent serious disease in this population. group.

Hannah Nonyek, president of the SAGE expert group, said at a press conference about the RSV vaccine in countries committing to using it as a form of prevention that WHO recommends a single dose for the third time. trimester of pregnancy. Once work on vaccinating mothers and babies is complete, SAGE will consider issuing recommendations for older people. “We know there is a burden of RSV in older adults, but this recommendation will have to wait,” Nonyek said.

Life is oral

SAGE also supported the initiation of planning for a global phaseout of bivalent oral poliovirus vaccines, WHO said. “The polio situation is discussed at every SAGE meeting and on this occasion we expressed concern about the increasing cases and detection of wild poliovirus in the environment in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the continued transmission of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Africa”. Added to this is the recent discovery of vaccine-induced polio 2 in Brazil and Gaza. WHO currently recommends coadministration of new OPV2 and bivalent OPV2 with IPV.

The group also reviewed new recommendations for the rubella vaccine. Until now, WHO has required 80% coverage of measles-containing vaccines as a requirement for the introduction of rubella-containing vaccines. After the group meeting, this threshold recommendation was withdrawn.

Finally, SAGE expressed satisfaction with the global increase in human papillomavirus vaccination coverage from 2023 and assured that vaccines are already being used in 13 African countries, although 14.5 million children have still not received any vaccine.