Scientific societies, patient associations, federations, economists and institutions came together in Rome, in the Sala Caduti di Nassirya in the Senate, at the invitation and initiative of the senator Ignazio Zulloto present the Manifesto Breathe to grow – Allies for a childhood free from RSVil Respiratory syncytial virus. The Alliance Manifesto is the result of multidisciplinary work carried out in recent months and supported by Sanofi. They were presented five actions that need to be implemented as soon as possible to address, with the available tools and a common direction, a still unsatisfied public health need such as RSVreducing the impacts on our National Health Service – NHS and avoiding disparities at regional level.
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Over 15 thousand hospitalizations and 16 deaths per year
Every year in Italy, the respiratory syncytial virus epidemic season involves, in children in the first year of life (400 thousand births), over 230 thousand health events requiring medical attention, including more than 15 thousand hospitalizations and around 16 deaths. Globally, RSV is the leading cause of medical, outpatient and hospital care for respiratory infection in children under one year of age. Today, thanks to research, we can also count on the form of passive immunoprophylaxis offered by new generation monoclonal antibodies whose safety and effectiveness and whose use as a new RSV prevention tool available to public health have been widely recognized by the scientific community.
Every year in Italy the epidemic season of Respiratory Syncytial Virus involves, nand children in the first year of life (400 thousand births), over 230 thousand health events require medical attention, including more than 15 thousand hospitalizations and approximately 16 deaths
Immunization campaign
«RSV is responsible for the highest number of hospital admissions among children under 6 months of age, resulting in considerable social and economic costs and increasing the risk of developing bronchiolitis which can then progress to asthma. This underlines the importance of urging public decision makers to also start an immunization campaign in Italy, as already happens in many European countries and in the United States, in view of the 2024/2025 season”, said the senator Ylenia Zambito. In order for this to be possible from next season also in Italy, concrete and urgent actions are needed which the new Alliance, made up of scientific societies, patient associations, federations, economists and institutions, wanted to outline and illustrate in the Manifesto.
The representatives of the Alliance
The five points of the Manifesto
Breathe to grow – Allies for an RSV-free childhood is the name of the Manifesto in which the actions to be implemented as soon as possible are explained to address what is still an unsatisfied public health need with the weapons available today.
The first of the five actions is inform the regions and all health workersi, at a national level, on the availability of new preventive tools that allow the protection of all children in the first year of life.
The second action is update the vaccination calendar and evolve it, with the introduction of the monoclonal antibody, to a national Immunization Calendar, in time to effectively implement the Rsv immunization strategy in the 2024/2025 season.
The third action proposed by the Manifesto is theorganization of information and awareness campaignsaimed at parents and healthcare workers, on the importance of reducing the risks of an Rsv infection.
The fourth point is the protection of the right to health for all children, thanks to passive immunoprophylaxis from RSV in a uniform way, throughout the country. The last action is dedicated to a networking work: the joint commitment between national and regional institutions, healthcare professionals and associations for the implementation of immunization campaigns for the prevention of RSV in children in the 2024/2025 season.
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Training and dissemination
«The Regions must adopt a coordinated awareness and information strategy among all players in the health sector to promote an effective immunization campaign,” he said Pietro Scansano, health director of the Inmi “Lazzaro Spallanzani” Institute in Rome, Federsanità delegate. «The training of health workers and the dissemination of accessible information materials are key points to guarantee correct information and active participation of citizens in the prevention of RSV infections».
The role of associations
«In promoting awareness of the right to health, the role of representative associations, which not only dedicate themselves to patients but embrace the entire citizenry, is crucial. These organizations not only conduct health information campaigns, but also offer a continuous support to ensure access to rightsin particular the fundamental right to health,” he said Valeria Fava, health policy manager Cittadinanzattiva.
«Parents play a crucial role in a new immunoprophylaxis strategy like the one that is treated in the Manifesto. They are called to be not only recipients, but also active protagonists, acting as vehicles of information and mutual support”, he said Adriano Bordignon, president of the Forum of family associations. «The involvement of parents reflects the dual purpose of the interventions: to raise awareness about the prevention of RSV infections and to protect children’s rights. The associationswho are constantly at the side of the citizens, play a fundamental role in carrying forward these requests, highlighting to the political class the needs of the social component of the country».
The economic impact on the NHS
The Alliance for a childhood free from RSV, through the combined experiences of institutional figures, clinicians, patients and economists, has created a process of discussion that has framed the scenario in the prevention of RSV, on the basis of clinical-epidemiological evidence and economic-health and also social impact. In terms of economic impact on the NHS, the expenditure associated with the management of medically assisted forms of RSV and the management of its complications is equal to approximately 64 million euros per year in direct costs. Furthermore, the indirect costs determined by the loss of productivity due to premature death (16 deaths related to RSV), which are equal to approximately 3 million eurosas well as i additional costs of the current prophylaxis given to high-risk subjects (about 13 thousand children, 4.4% of the birth rate), equal to approximately 43 million euros (in the 2022/2023 season).
The opening photo is by Cristian Gennari for Agenzia Sintesi, the other from Sanofi’s press office
