CLEVELAND — Young children in our area could be the key to a new vaccine for a potentially dangerous illness…RSV. Back in November, we told you about a study that hoped to find a longer-lasting solution to the RSV, and now we’re following through.
Before we get into the story, let’s talk about what RSV is. It’s a respiratory illness that can cause health problems like Bronchiolitis and Pneumonia, which are dangerous conditions, especially for young children.
“So many kids get sick with RSV, and it’s really severe and for parents that’s really scary,” said mother Celina McWilliams. She’s right. The CDC has reported that 58,000 to 80,000 children under the age of five will be hospitalized with RSV this year alone. in fact, Dr. Shelly Senders from Senders Pediatrics said, “It’s one of the most common causes of viral illnesses in kids that ends up landing them in the hospital.”
Today, we were there as McWilliams brought in her daughter Briggs to be a part of the research. “The fact that we were able to participate in a study like this that cannot only help our child but help everyone else’s child,” said McWilliams. “Because parents deserve that. Kids deserve that.”
As it stands now, there’s a shot given to expecting mothers and/or an antibody that helps newborns battle RSV, but Senders told us the idea of a longer-lasting solution is something to pay attention to. “And if it works, and all the data supports that it will work, then that’s an exciting potential,” he said.
Not only that, this kind of vaccine could help with a huge problem millions of people suffer from…asthma. Senders said RSV is the main cause of asthma, and an effective RSV vaccine could mean farewell to the condition. “The end result will be, I think, 5 years from now, we will wipe out most cases of asthma,” said Senders. “And to me, that’s very, very exciting.”
And it’s exciting for McWilliams. “I have asthma and it’s something that impacts my life,” she told us. “And it’s something that I, again, worry that my children will also have.”
The CDC reportsin 2021, asthma was the cause of death in more than 3,500 people in the U.S. “Being a parent is hard and if there’s one less thing we can take away…a parent’s worry we should do it,” said McWilliams.
If you are interested in having your young child be a part of the research, contact Senders Pediatrics in South Euclid.
Watch anchor Katie Ussin's 2023 report on the shortage of RSV drugs.
