After visiting the Pediatric Critical Patient Unit of the Luis Calvo Mackenna Hospital as part of the 2024 Winter Campaign, the Minister of Health, Ximena Aguilera, reported positive results in the immunization strategy for infants against the respiratory syncytial virus. “We have managed to cover more than 80% of infants born after October 1, 2023 with access to the monoclonal antibody Nirsevimab,” she announced. The Minister of Health also indicated that there is availability of pediatric beds and that “indeed the children and infants who are hospitalized in critical beds are not at this moment due to syncytial virus”. The minister called on mothers and fathers of children born after October 1, 2023 to immunize them. “We want to reach 100%, that all children who are eligible for this antibody receive it and that we should not regret hospitalizations or deaths from respiratory syncytial virus,” she said. Increasing vaccination Regarding the viral circulation of influenza, the Secretary of State expressed that the outbreak has been brought forward and that we have not yet entered the complex winter. “An enormous effort has been made to increase vaccination coverage, to increase the population that we protect with vaccines. We also call on people to continue to get vaccinated, particularly the elderly,” he said. “Now we can see a success in the sense of achieving coverage in children with monoclonal antibody, but we also want older adults to finish vaccination to be more protected and avoid hospitalizations and deaths,” she added. Minister Aguilera emphasized prevention measures, especially the use of masks and hand washing. “It is important to use the mask more frequently in means of locomotion, and hopefully avoid crowded places and also to visit others when one is sick, to isolate oneself so as not to go around infecting other people”, she said. Source: Ciencia&Salud.