On 12th of November, World Pneumonia Day, monuments and buildings around the world are lit up blue. For the first time also in the Netherlands. The Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital in Utrecht will be lit blue between 18:00 and 22:00 on Tuesday to draw attention to the danger of pneumonia in young children. Among other things, pneumonia can be caused by the RS virus. The RS virus is common in our country from November to March. Babies are especially vulnerable.
The RS virus causes respiratory infections that can make babies very sick. About 1 in 100 children become so seriously ill from the RS virus that they have to be hospitalised. Premature infants, children with congenital heart defects, for example, and children with Down’s syndrome are more at risk of becoming seriously ill. But most children admitted to hospital were healthy before that.
By 2022, RS vaccines will be allowed on the European market. The Health Council recommended that all children under 1 year of age should be protected against RS as soon as possible. Without RS vaccination, there are 3.6 thousand hospital admissions, and 26 thousand GP visits every year, the Health Council wrote. Immunization of all babies could prevent more than half of this disease burden.
Louis Bont, paediatrician Infectiologist-Immunologist and head of the Department of Paediatrics at the University Medical Centre Utrecht: ‘Every year, over 700,000 children worldwide die from pneumonia. By choosing vaccination together, we can save these lives and give children a healthy future.’
Every year, over 270,000 people in the Netherlands contract pneumonia. Pneumonia is especially dangerous for vulnerable groups of people, such as very young children and the elderly. Since 2023, there has been an increase in the number of children facing pneumonia. Pneumonia can be caused by viruses or bacteria and is mostly preventable by regular hand washing and vaccinating all children.
Information about the RS virus is available through our chatbot RSV Chatbot – ReSViNET.
