Anvisa authorizes vaccine for bronchiolitis in babies; The disease has already caused 374 hospitalizations in SC

The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) authorized, last Monday (1st), a vaccine aimed at preventing the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes infections in the respiratory tract, mainly childhood bronchiolitis. In Santa Catarina, 374 children up to 2 years of age have already been hospitalized with the disease in 2024 alone.

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RSV is responsible for up to 75% of bronchiolitis cases among infants and children under two years of age, according to the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (SBP). In this age group, mortality due to infection is higher, especially during the virus’s seasonality period, between April and August, in the southern region of Brazil.

How the vaccine works

The Abrysvo vaccine is manufactured by Pfizer and is not the first to combat RSV to be approved by Anvisa, but it is the first indicated for babies. The medicine can be applied in a single dose to pregnant women, during the second or third trimester of pregnancy.

The vaccine induces the woman’s immune system to produce defenses, which are passed on to the child through the placenta.

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The vaccine is described as bivalent, as it is composed of two antigens from the RSV F surface protein. Clinical studies show an effectiveness of 81.8% in cases of severe illness in the first three months of the baby’s life, and 69.4% six months after birth.

Vaccination in Santa Catarina

There is still no forecast of when the Abrysvo vaccine will be made available to the population, but the expectation is that this will happen in a few months. The immunizer still needs to go through the pricing process with the Medicines Market Regulation Chamber (CMED), an interministerial body responsible for evaluating and publishing the price, so that the product can be offered. It can then be distributed via SUS and also sold in private vaccination clinics.

To reach the public network, the pharmacist must make a request to the Ministry of Health. Afterwards, it undergoes an assessment by the National Commission for the Incorporation of Technologies in the Unified Health System (Conitec), which considers how the vaccine acts in the real context and its likely social impact, among other issues.

Private clinics in Santa Catarina have shown interest in making the vaccine available to pregnant women, but are still awaiting processing at CMED. The Immunizar clinics, which have three units in Greater Florianópolis, Primme Vacinas, which serves Greater Florianópolis and Balneário Camboriú, and Tio Cecim, which operates in the Capital, showed interest in purchasing the vaccine.

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Meanwhile, the population over 60 years of age can be vaccinated against diseases caused by RSV, but with the Arexvy vaccine (GlaxoSmith Kline). The vaccine is now available in clinics in Santa Catarina.

How to identify bronchiolitis in babies

Bronchiolitis is a respiratory syndrome that affects the airways. The virus multiplies in the cells of the upper respiratory system (nose, pharynx and larynx) and causes inflammation of the bronchioles, which are a branch of the bronchi.

In the first few days after infection with the RSV virus, the most common symptoms are fever and runny nose. After 4 or 5 days, the disease progresses to symptoms in the lower airways, causing wheezing, coughing, tiredness and shortness of breath.

In children, as the airway is smaller and narrower, the impaired air passage leads to a greater number of symptoms, such as coughing, which causes dehydration. In some cases, the cough can be so intense that vomiting is common.

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