New RSV Protection Cuts Infant Hospitalization Risk by 83% in Israel
A major European study has shown that a new protective treatment against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) reduces the risk of infant hospitalization by approximately 83%. RSV is a common respiratory virus that can cause severe illness in infants, leading to bronchiolitis, pneumonia, and respiratory distress. In Israel, RSV accounts for about 75% of hospitalizations due to bronchiolitis and 25% due to pneumonia among infants and toddlers, making it the leading cause of infant hospital admissions in their first year.
Starting in September 2025, Israel introduced a passive immunization program providing all infants with a single dose of an antibody-based protection against RSV during their first winter season. This is not a traditional vaccine but a long-acting monoclonal antibody given either at birth or before the RSV season. High-risk infants, such as those with chronic lung disease related to prematurity, congenital heart disease, or cystic fibrosis, receive protection during their second RSV season as well.
Preliminary data from Israel’s first winter with this program are promising. By mid-March 2026, around 130,000 infants and toddlers had received the protection. During the peak week of the 2025-2026 RSV season, the positivity rate for RSV among infants under one year was 29.9%, compared to 56% to 59.7% in previous peak seasons. Visits for bronchiolitis in the community also dropped by more than half during the peak week. While RSV seasons vary and multiple factors affect infection rates, these findings align with international data.
Similar trends were observed in the United States, where widespread use of RSV protection in the 2024-2025 season led to a 28% to 43% reduction in hospitalizations among infants aged 0 to 7 months, with the youngest infants (0-2 months) seeing a 45% to 52% decrease. Beyond reducing hospital admissions, preventing severe RSV illness also lessens parental work absences and emotional stress.
Professor Dov Albokerk, Deputy Director and Head of Medicine at Meuhedet Health Services and a pediatric expert, emphasized that while RSV protection will not eliminate all winter respiratory illnesses, it represents a significant advancement in reducing severe disease and healthcare burden in Israel’s infant population.
