Is immunization with palivizumab really effective in high-risk children?

Aim: The aim of this research is to determine the specific characteristics of the immunized children during a 15-year period and the readmissions to hospital due to potential infections of the respiratory tract.

Material and methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in the period from October 2008 to March 2022. The test group consists of 222 infants who met the strict criteria for immunization.

Results: The study observed 222 infants who were immunized with palivizumab during the 14-year period. 124 (55.9%) infants were preterm (< 32 weeks) and 69 (31.1%) were infants with congenital heart defects, whereas 29 (13.1%) exhibited other individual risk factors. 38 (17.1%) were re-admitted to the pulmonary ward. Upon re-admission, a quick test to diagnose for RSV infections was conducted and only one infant tested positive.

Results: The conclusion of our 14-year study is that palivizumab prophylaxis has truly proven itself effective for infants at risk in our region during the research time period. Over the years, the immunization season has not changed and the number of doses hasremained the same, as have the indications for immunization. What has changed, however, is an increase in the number of immunized infants without a significant increase in the number of re-admissions to hospital on account of respiratory disorders.