Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City has observed a decrease in infant admissions for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) over the past two years, attributing this trend to increased vaccination efforts. Intermountain Health reported that Utah leads the nation in protecting babies against RSV, with twice as many expectant mothers choosing vaccination before birth.
Dr. Per Gesteland, director of acute care services for Intermountain Children's Health, noted that the reduced RSV season severity lessens stress on the healthcare system by decreasing intensive care admissions. He stated that last year and the current year are showing improvement compared to previous seasons.
Carolyn Reynolds, executive director of the ambulatory clinical program at Intermountain Children's Health, indicated that while implementing new medications and systems typically takes years, Intermountain Health prioritized rapid deployment for RSV vaccines. Although a 2023 campaign was scaled back due to supply issues, the system significantly pushed educational efforts for RSV vaccines throughout 2024 and 2025.
Intermountain Health promotes RSV vaccinations through three methods:
- Pregnant women can receive the maternal RSV protection Abrysvo in their third trimester, which transfers immunity to their babies within two weeks.
- Babies born during RSV season can be immunized with Nirsevimab monoclonal antibodies shortly after birth, providing immunity within days.
- Families of infants born between April and September (outside RSV season) are encouraged to bring them to their pediatrician for vaccination.
RSV can be particularly severe for infants, causing bronchiolitis that impairs breathing and eating, and potentially disrupting development. An Intermountain Health study revealed that without the vaccine, one in 48 Utah infants are hospitalized with RSV in their first year, and one in 200 require intensive care. For immunized infants, these figures drop to one in 400 hospitalized and one in 1,000 in the ICU. Reynolds stated that national studies confirm the safety and effectiveness of the RSV vaccine, with local data also demonstrating its impact.