President receives 100,000 doses of medicine to combat syncytial virus
Nirsevimab allows infants to be immunized against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
President Gabriel Boric today received a total of 100,000 doses of Nirsevimab, which immunizes infants against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This is excellent news, as we become the first Latin American country to have access to this medicine, which will be offered free of charge to all infants regardless of their social security status.
This shipment joins the 5,000 doses that have already arrived and the more than 60,000 that will arrive soon.
The medicine is a monoclonal antibody for RSV, and has been added to the 2024 winter immunization campaign. It will benefit infants and newborns up to six months old.
“These doses will be available from April in all maternity hospitals in Chile, so that
children receive them immediately after birth. It will also be available to families at
vaccination centers, so that the parents of children under six months old – those
born after October 1, 2023 – can receive this medication,” Gabriel Boric, President
of Chile.
Nirsevimab is a very important medicine, as it reduces illness and hospitalization due to syncytial virus and lower respiratory tract infection due to RSV.
The president stated that the use of this medicine “will not only save lives, but will also help us reduce the pressure on the health system, which last year was in a very critical condition.”
RSV infection is one of the main causes of acute respiratory tract infection in infants and young children around the world.