Advocating on RSV

Active Citizenship Network, the EU branch of the Italian NGO Cittadinanzattiva, has decided to dedicate a specific space to exploring respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and maternal vaccination, mainly for the following reasons:

1) Due to the growing attention and impact of RSV: as we always say, learning more is a prerequisite for taking action. Furthermore, when well-informed, each one of us can help to combat the spread of fake news.

2) To contribute to a key step towards equity in child health and better protect the most vulnerable from a major global health threat.

3) To keep up with the latest developments, particularly the new Position Paper on immunisation strategies to protect infants against RSV released by the WHO on 20 May 2025. This milestone document provides guidance on the use of maternal vaccines and long-acting monoclonal antibodies to prevent severe RSV disease in early infancy.

4) For our ongoing commitment to vaccination policies, one of the organisation's core areas of focus at both the national and European levels, in line with the progress already made in Italy and Europe on this issue.

Why it matters:

• RSV remains a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children worldwide. It is responsible for an estimated 100,000 deaths in children under 5 every year, the majority of which occur in low- and middle-income countries.
• Nearly half of all RSV-related deaths affect infants under six months old, often before they can access hospital care.
• Immunization during pregnancy has been shown to significantly reduce severe disease, hospitalization and early-life complications.

To know more:

• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control: “Protecting infants against respiratory syncytial virus this winter” (13 Nov 2025)
• WHO position paper on immunization to protect infants against respiratory syncytial virus disease, May 2025. To download the document, click here.
• European Medicines Agency: “First RSV vaccine to protect infants up to 6 months of age and older adults” (21 July 2023)

The initiative is part of the EU project  “Protecting the value of prevention across Europe: focus on Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) & maternal vaccination”, made possible thanks to the unconditional support of