Susan Hepworth, Bob Hopkins, Jr., MD, Jefferson Jones, MD, Karen Crowley, DNP

Susan Hepworth: Thanks, everybody, for joining. We’ve got almost everyone who RSVP’d has joined. We will get started with today’s webinar, Protecting Infants from RSV: Understanding Guidance on New Prevention Tools. My name is Susan Hepworth. I serve as executive director at the National Coalition for Infant Health, one of the hosts of today’s webinar. I am delighted to be joined by three speakers here today with us. We’re joined by Dr. Kieran Crowley of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. We’re also joined by Dr. Jefferson Jones of the CDC and Dr. Bob Hopkins of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

I want to recognize the co-hosts of today’s webinar, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses and NFIB, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. I also want to thank our sponsors, Merck, Pfizer, and Sanofi, who helped make today’s webinar possible. To quickly outline the objectives of today’s webinar, we will receive an overview of RSV from Dr. Bob Hopkins at NFID. Then, we will hear from Dr. Jefferson Jones about new options to prevent RSV and what the CDC guidance says about their use. Then, we will hear from Dr. Karen Crowley, who wants to talk about resources for providers, patients, and caregivers to educate about these new prevention tools.

We have reserved a few minutes at the end for Question and Answer, so feel free to send those questions as they come to your mind. With that, I will start with a concise video that the National Coalition for Infant Health produced last year, based on a surveyconducted at the end of 2022.

Video https://www.infanthealth.org/rsv#videos

Nearly every child catches RSV by age two. Respiratory Syncytial Virus affects the lungs and airways and can cause bronchiolitis, pneumonia, coughing, wheezing, or other cold-like symptoms. But for many families, that’s only the beginning. A national survey of parents and healthcare providers found that the disease also leaves an emotional, financial, and social burden. Of the 340 parents whose child caught the virus, more than two-thirds said it landed their child in the hospital. 68% of parents reported the experience affected their mental health while their child was sick. Parents felt afraid, sad, helpless, and frustrated. Many felt guilty they couldn’t do more to prevent their child’s sickness. RSV also dealt excessive financial hardships to black families, who faced medical bills, loss of potential income, childcare costs for siblings, and transportation expenses.

Meanwhile, some parents had to request paid time off, take unpaid leave, or cut back on work. Nearly 20% left their job or were fired as a result. Perhaps that’s why more than two-thirds of surveyed parents described RSV as a financial burden or financial crisis. RSV impacted families’ social balance, too. Over one-third of parents said the experience strained their relationship with their partner. They had to turn to family members and friends to help with childcare, and all the while, siblings struggled to understand what was happening. RSV’s impact is multifaceted. So, how can policymakers help? [They can help by] supporting innovation and ensuring timely and equitable access to care and preventive interventions. Surveyed healthcare providers agreed that immunization and vaccine-like interventions could help minimize the burden of RSV. 82% of parents agreed they would want their child to receive such an intervention with good policy and innovation. Families and their healthcare providers can work together to reduce the burden of RSV.

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