New preventive treatment against bronchiolitis: the first patient at Brugmann hospital received his injection

Kenzo is the very first patient to receive the new preventive treatment against bronchiolitis. Only two days old, he will soon be released from the Brugmann maternity ward.

While no treatment is really effective for bronchiolitis and the disease can quickly take a worrying turn, pediatricians called on Thursday, during a press conference in Brussels, for parents of toddlers to take action. the steps to have them administered a monoclonal antibody.

“It is not a vaccine, but an injection of antibodies that protect your baby for a full season of RSV“, explains Laurane De Mot from the Institute of Public Health, Sciensano. “Unlike the vaccine, there is no immune reaction and therefore no side effects“, she adds.

► Review | This October, protect your babies against bronchiolitis

The objective is six months of protection, during the risk period for this respiratory virus. In fact, bronchiolitis affects one in 4 children before the age of one, sometimes with serious cases, deaths and overloaded pediatric services each winter.

■ ReportingArnaud Bruckner et Nicolas Scheenaerts