RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is the leading cause of respiratory infections in young children worldwide. In most children, it causes a cold, but in young babies it can lead to serious illness requiring hospitalisation. This winter, far fewer babies with RSV were admitted to intensive care, partly thanks to the introduction of RSV immunisation in the National Immunisation Programme. Emily Phijffer (UMC Utrecht) is one of the physician-researchers who collected data to support this decision. She obtained her PhD on 12 March.
‘Vaccinating pregnant women and giving babies a jab can help prevent babies from getting a life-threatening infection with RSV,’ said Louis Bont, paediatric infectious disease specialist at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital in Utrecht in 2023, when the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the second vaccine. In 2024, the Health Council recommended that protection against RSV be included in the National Immunisation Programme. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport adopted this recommendation. Since September 2025, newborns have been receiving a vaccine against RSV. Various factors played a role in the decision to implement these strategies in the National Immunisation Programme, including the burden of disease, vaccine safety and effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and acceptance among the population.
That sounds logical, but many doctors and researchers at home and abroad have been working on this for years. Emily: ‘When I started my PhD, I sometimes said out loud that protecting all babies from RSV disease was the goal of our research group. With the introduction of RSV immunisation in the National Immunisation Programme, something has really changed for newborns.’
However, there is still room for improvement. RSV vaccination for pregnant women is not yet offered as standard in the Netherlands. ‘Our research shows that most pregnant women are positive about both strategies, but that they often prefer vaccination during pregnancy,’ says Emily. Offering both options simultaneously would probably be the most cost-effective approach. Moreover, both strategies are similarly safe and effective.
In view of the declining vaccination rate in the Netherlands, it may help to offer pregnant women a personal choice. ‘By deciding together with the healthcare professional which option is most suitable, participation in RSV immunisation can possibly be better guaranteed,’ says Emily. ‘In an ideal situation, vaccination information is provided by a trained healthcare professional who is also authorised to administer the vaccine directly.’
During the defence of her thesis, Emily could count on her guardian angel. That is her brother, who has had to deal with the consequences of his disability his entire life. “My brother is important to me. And he gave me the insight as a child that I wanted to become a good paediatrician later in life. We were able to do this together. After this, I will start as a paediatrician in training within the Utrecht training cluster. For me, that feels like a wonderful opportunity.”
