High-risk Alberta newborns will start getting new RSV shot next month amid calls for broader coverage

Alberta will offer free, preventive RSV shots to some high-risk newborns this fall, but it is falling short of providing universal coverage to infants, which some other provinces are choosing to do.

The antibody injection was nirsevimab (sold as Befortus). Approved by Health Canada in 2023 And many other provinces are offering it to all newborns. The single-dose shot contains lab-made proteins that act like proteins made by the body’s own immune system.

Starting in November, this injection will replace the monthly shot Palivizumab (Synagis) which was already being offered to some high-risk infants.

In 2024, National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommended Provinces are moving toward a universal RSV vaccination program for all infants, and nersevimab was the preferred option. It also said that programs could be introduced in phases depending on supply, cost-effectiveness and affordability.

Ontario and Quebec began giving antibody shots to all newborns last year.

And, while the exact eligibility details vary, other provinces, including Saskatchewan, Manitoba, PEI and Nova Scotia, have also announced comprehensive coverage plans for the upcoming respiratory virus season.

Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon also offer coverage.

Alberta, meanwhile, has opted to take a targeted approach to offering nirsevimab.

Doctors urge comprehensive coverage

At Alberta Children’s Hospital, where patients are starting to arrive with the disease, Dr. Sidd Thakor is preparing for a busy RSV season.

“We know it’s going to start accelerating in the next few months,” said Thakor, a pediatrician at the University of Calgary hospital.

He’s pleased the Alberta government will provide nersevimab to high-risk infants. But he would like to see the province provide universal coverage.

“As a pediatrician who sees this every year, knowing that there is a prophylaxis for RSV — something we can really do to reduce the severity of it — and not making it available to all kids who are still at relatively high risk is a little unfortunate,” Thakor said.

While respiratory syncytial virus often causes mild cold-like symptoms, it can cause more serious illness in young children (as well as older adults), resulting in: Hospitalization and ICU admission,

According to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants and young children.

More than 800 Alberta children According to provincial data published earlier this year, more children under the age of one were hospitalized due to RSV during the last respiratory virus season. An infant died.

Edmonton neonatologist Dr. Amber Reichert said doctors have been told that children who are eligible for nersevimab include those with specific health conditions such as congenital heart defects and those admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.

Although she is relieved that the Alberta government is offering nersevimab to some infants, she is also hopeful that the Alberta government will provide broader coverage.

“I’m concerned that it doesn’t necessarily protect all vulnerable infants,” Reichert said.

“Newborns are more susceptible to this disease due to their immature immune systems and the nature of their very small airways.”

According to Reichert, some babies become so sick that they have to be admitted to the NICU and require mechanical ventilation.

“I’m not entirely sure this will reduce our admission rates to neonatal intensive care units,” Reichert said.

“A large number of admissions are infants who don’t meet the eligibility criteria for nersevimab, even with expanded criteria. So I’m a little concerned that this may be a little short-sighted and we haven’t really looked at our local data and our local admission rates to help make those decisions.”

Government response

The Alberta government said it is continuing to monitor RSV trends.

“Although RSV can cause severe disease in specific high-risk groups, it has less serious consequences at the general population level,” a statement from the Ministry of Primary and Preventive Health Services said.

“This is an important consideration when evaluating mass vaccination programs.”

According to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, RSV causes 16 times more hospitalizations in young children than influenza.

“Although the risk of hospitalization is higher in the presence of co-morbidities, the majority of infants and young children hospitalized with RSV have no underlying co-morbidities,” The committee noted,

according to Canadian Vaccination GuideNirsevimab has been shown to reduce RSV-related hospital admissions by 81 to 83 percent.

CBC News asked the Alberta government for a list of people specifically eligible for nersevimab, but it did not share those details.

“The eligibility criteria for high-risk infants, including whether NICU admission is eligible or not, will be updated and shared soon,” the ministry said.,

According to the ministry spokesperson, cost-effectiveness and feasibility analysis is underway to inform decisions for the 2026-27 respiratory virus season.

Meanwhile, doctors are growing concerned about the ability of hospitals to cope with a seasonal surge of respiratory viruses as demand surges.

And opting for universal nirsevimab coverage could help ease some of that pressure, Thakor said.

“Now we have something we can use. And we know Alberta’s population continues to grow … and we still have a limited number of hospital beds,” he said.

“So the likelihood is that the challenges we face will increase this year.”