Beyfortus Cut RSV Hospitalisations by 70% — Now Research Says Babies With Heart Defects Need a Second Season Dose
AKRON, Ohio — New research from Akron Children's hospital suggests that a single preventive shot against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cut the risk of hospitalisation by about 70% in healthy babies and by about 60% in babies born with heart defects — and that children with congenital heart disease (CHD) remain at elevated risk in their second RSV season, when current United States federal guidance does not recommend the shot for them. The findings, presented by Dr. Jenna Smarzinski at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference in San Diego in early October 2026, make a case for changing national policy so children with CHD receive Beyfortus in their second RSV season as well as their first, the hospital said on 9 November 2026. Illustration: A newborn infant resting in a hospital crib as a nurse checks on the baby in a paediatric ward. What Happened Dr. Smarzinski, a second-year pediatrics resident at Akron Children's, presented the research at th...