Respiratory Syncytial Virus -- Successful Immunoprophylaxis at Last

Abstract

Respiratory infections in infants and children, and their complications, are responsible for enormous morbidity throughout the world and, particularly in the developing world, for substantial mortality. Of the numerous known microbial causes, respiratory syncytial virus is by far the most important agent causing lower respiratory tract disease in children in the developed world. It is also highly contagious and is responsible for yearly epidemics in which approximately half of all children under 18 months of age are infected. In this country, approximately 1 to 3 percent of infected infants are hospitalized with pneumonia or bronchiolitis1. And, like many other . . .