Recommendations on Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Immunisation Strategies for Infants and Young Children in Countries with Year-Round RSV Activity

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection in young children, especially during infancy, resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality. Acknowledging the real-world evidence on RSV immunisation, the College of Paediatrics, Academy Medicine of Malaysia has appointed an expert panel to develop a position paper on recommendations for infant and/or maternal vaccination against childhood RSV specifically in the Malaysian context with year-round RSV activity. Recognising the potential constraints and limitations in the implementation process, the expert panel recommends targeted immunisation with long-acting RSV monoclonal antibody (mAb) for high-risk infants as a pragmatic first step, with subsequent scale-up to universal immunisation of infants when resources permit. Year-round maternal vaccination between 28- and 36-weeks’ gestation combined with immunisation at six months for all infants may potentially circumvent the unclear seasonality.