Global Policy Statement on RSV Prevention for Newborns and the Elderly

This policy statement reflects the insights and discussions from a multi-day workshop convened by the Global Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants in October 2025. Leaders of national parent organizations contributed their perspectives and explored potential solutions for RSV prevention, taking into account the current RSV situation in their countries and its impact on the most vulnerable populations in society.

Preamble

A young child lies in a hospital bed receiving oxygen therapy through a nebulizer mask, illustrating the importance of RSV prevention and respiratory care. — © Shutterstock

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a major cause of acute lower respiratory infections in two of the world’s most vulnerable groups: newborns and infants up to 12 months of age, and the elderly. Every year, RSV is responsible for an estimated 33 million cases of lower respiratory tract infection, more than 3 million hospitalizations, and approximately 100,000 infant deaths worldwide, with the vast majority occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

An elderly woman sits on her couch, sneezing into a tissue, highlighting RSV symptoms and prevention for older adults. — © Shutterstock

The virus also causes a substantial burden among older adults, particularly in those with underlying conditions or weakened immune systems. In this population, RSV contributes significantly to severe respiratory illness, hospital admissions, and mortality.

The true global burden of RSV is high across all age groups, with many cases remaining underdiagnosed or unreported due to limited diagnostic capacity, lack of systematic surveillance, and misclassification as other respiratory illnesses. This under-recognition results in a substantial hidden disease burden that is not adequately reflected in official statistics

Despite proven preventative tools, and growing awareness of RSV’s impact, there is still a significant lack of information and persistent misinformation: Recent evidence indicates that knowledge and awareness of RSV among the general public and even some healthcare professionals remain low, with common misconceptions such as RSV being perceived only as a mild cold. This highlights the urgent need for consistent, clear, and accessible education on RSV and available preventive measures. Current efforts and activities are fragmented, inconsistent and often limited in reach.

Global collaboration is urgently needed to create a coordinated, cross-sectoral approach that maximizes impact, ensures equitable access, and promotes sustainable, measurable reductions in RSV morbidity and mortality.

The time for unified global action is now.

1. A Call for a United Global Movement

We urge governments, international and national health organizations, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, healthcare providers, research institutions, and civil society to come together in a coordinated global movement to prioritize RSV prevention. Fragmented approaches are no longer acceptable. This movement must promote shared goals, pooled resources, and synchronized efforts across borders and sectors. Only through collaboration can we reduce RSV‘s global toll.

2. Clear, Understandable Public Guidance

We call for the development and dissemination of clear, culturally appropriate, easily understandable and accessible, educational resources and guidance for:

Expectant parents and pregnant women
Parents and caregivers of newborns and infants
Elderly individuals and their families
Healthcare and educational professionals at all levels and across sectors, including childcare, schools and eldercare settings

Such guidance must provide education on RSV symptoms, transmission, prevention strategies, practical actions, available vaccines and other immunization options, and be distributed across traditional media, digital platforms, community networks and healthcare settings. It needs to address existing knowledge gaps and misconceptions, ensuring that messaging is consistent, accurate, and empowering for all target audiences.

3. Standardized Vaccination and Other Immunization Protocols

We advocate for the global adoption of standardized RSV protocols, including:

Maternal vaccination during pregnancy to protect all newborns
Monoclonal antibody administration for all infants, but especially for high-risk infants, including preterm or sick newborns
Vaccination of elderly populations, especially those with comorbidities
Integration of RSV prevention into national immunization schedules

The World Health Organization (WHO) and relevant bodies must accelerate work on equitable access, regulatory and recommendation alignment, and delivery strategies, particularly for countries with limited resources.

4. A Worldwide RSV Awareness Campaign

To break the cycle of lacking awareness, misinformation and inaction, we call for the launch of a global RSV awareness campaign. This initiative should:

Inform the public about RSV’s risks and prevention strategies
Engage health professionals to educate patients about RSV prevention and available immunization
Encourage policy makers to prioritize RSV in national health agendas

This campaign must be multilingual, multi-channel, and multi-sectoral, leveraging both local community health networks and international influencers.

5. Agree on a Global RSV Awareness Day or Week

We call on all stakeholders, societies and parent and patient organizations to unite and collaborate to establish a common RSV Awareness Day or Week per hemisphere. Together, and with one voice, we need to call on the World Health Assembly (WHA) and United Nations (UN) to officially recognize an Annual RSV Awareness Day or Week, to be observed worldwide. This dedicated time would:

Unify global messaging
Serve as a rallying point for policy and fundraising
Provide a platform for sharing best practices

We recommend aligning this observance with the RSV season in both hemispheres to maximize relevance and impact.

6. Ensure Equity and Access

No newborn, infant, or elderly person should be left behind in the fight against RSV due to geography, income, or healthcare infrastructure. Equity in vaccine and monoclonal antibody access, education, and healthcare delivery is essential.

We call on global leaders to:

Guarantee equitable access to case-appropriate RSV immunization products, regardless of
income, geography, or healthcare infrastructure
Prioritize low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in funding, distribution, and support
programs
Support voluntary technology transfer and regional manufacturing, especially in
underserved regions
Use global programs and partnerships like Gavi, and UNICEF procurement systems, to make RSV vaccines and other immunization affordable and accessible for the world’s most
vulnerable

Immunization must be treated as a universal right, not a commercial privilege.

7. Surveillance, Testing, and Case Registration

We call on governments, public health authorities, and healthcare providers to implement comprehensive RSV surveillance systems that include:

Widespread and accessible diagnostic testing for infants, newborns, and elderly patients presenting with respiratory symptoms
Standardized case registration and reporting to national and international health databases
Integration of RSV monitoring into existing public health surveillance networks
Regular publication of epidemiological data to inform policy decisions, immunization strategies, and public awareness campaigns

Improved surveillance and case registration are essential to understand the true burden of RSV, identify outbreaks early, and ensure timely, evidence-based interventions.

Conclusion

The global health community has the knowledge, tools, and capacity to drastically reduce the burden of RSV among newborns, infants and the elderly. What is needed now is unified action, shared responsibility, and unwavering commitment. We must act together - across borders and sectors - to make RSV prevention a global public health success story.

Let us not wait for another season of preventable suffering. Let us act now.

Lead-Authors:

Silke Mader (GFCNI), Teresa Primavesi-Poggio (GFCNI), Nicole Thiele (GFCNI)

Co-Authors:

Martina Bruscagnin (Vivere Onlus), Elzbieta Brzozowska (Koalicja dla Wcześniaka), Michel Collart (Noah’s Ark Belgium), Elisabet Farga (SOM PREMATURS), Paula Guerra (XXS – Associação Portuguesa de Apoio ao Bebé Prematuro), llknur Okay (El Bebek Gül Bebek), Denise Suguitani (ONG Prematuridade), Dr. Eleni Vavouraki (Ilitominon)

References:

1. Li Y, Wang X, Blau DM, et al. Global, regional, and national disease burden estimates of acute lower respiratory infections due to respiratory syncytial virus in children younger than 5 years in 2019: a systematic analysis. Lancet. 2022 May 28;399(10340):2047-2064.

2. Wu M, Wu Q, Liu D, et al. The global burden of lower respiratory infections attributable to respiratory syncytial virus in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Intern Emerg Med. 2024 Jan;19(1):59–70.

3. Du Y, Yan R, Wu X, et al. Global burden and trends of respiratory syncytial virus infection across different age groups from 1990 to 2019: A systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease 2019 Study. Int J Infect Dis. 2023 Oct;135:70–6.

4. Asseri AA. Respiratory Syncytial Virus: A Narrative Review of Updates and Recent Advances in Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, Management and Prevention. J Clin Med. 2025 May 30;14(11):3880.

5. World Health Organization. WHO position paper on immunization to protect infants against respiratory syncytial virus disease, May 2025 [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025 [cited 2025 Oct 28]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-wer-10022-193-218

6. Gavaruzzi T, Ceccarelli A, Nanni C, et al. Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Prevention: A Systematic Review. Vaccines (Basel). 2025 Feb 6;13(2):159.

7. World Health Organization. WHO global market study on RSV immunization products [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024 [cited 2025 Oct 28]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-global-market-study-on-rsv-immunization-products

8. Barsosio HC, Bont LJ, Groome MJ, et al. How Gavi support for RSV immunisation will advance health equity. The Lancet. 2025 Jul;406(10499):127–8.

9. Shaaban FL, Groenendijk RW, Baral R, et al. The path to equitable respiratory syncytial virus prevention for infants: challenges and opportunities for global implementation. The Lancet Global Health. 2025 Nov 3.

The GFCNI policy and advocacy workshop was held on 10 - 12 October 2025 in Munich, Germany, and was supported by a restricted grant from Pfizer.

Go back