2 clinics to offer new 'game changer' RSV shots for babies in Hamilton area, doctor says

Two Hamilton-area hospitals are opening clinics this fall for babies to receive a new medicine to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Next Monday, the clinics will open in McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton and West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Grimsby, Ont., just southeast of Hamilton, where the monoclonal antibody nirsevimab will be provided to eligible infants.

This season will be the first time in Ontario that nirsevimab (sold under the brand name Beyfortus) is used to protect babies from severe illness caused by RSV, said a news release from Hamilton Health Sciences, which runs the clinics. 

Dr. Jeffrey Pernica, an infectious disease specialist at McMaster, told CBC's Fresh Air the antibody shot will be a "game changer." 

"The news Ontario has access to new RSV-prevention products is very, very exciting and should be top of mind for any family with a young baby," he said. 

Medication prevents severe illness

The highly contagious virus is a leading cause of hospitalization for infants and young children. RSV normally causes cold-like symptoms but can also lead to pneumonia and bronchiolitis — a swelling of the small airway passages in the lungs.

Nirsevimab contains pre-formed antibodies that help protect infants for about eight months, Pernica said. It doesn't contain a live virus and therefore isn't considered a vaccine.

"That way if a baby gets infected with RSV, the antibody can mop it up and in that way it prevents severe diseases," said Pernica.

Babies born in 2024 are eligible to receive the shot at one of the clinics at no cost, Hamilton Health Sciences said. Infants older than one year who have high-risk medical conditions may also be eligible. 

Babies born between now and March 2025 will be offered it soon after birth, before going home from the hospital in both the Hamilton and Niagara regions.

Niagara Health is also advising residents with eligible babies to visit their family doctor or walk-in clinics to receive a dose.

The Ministry of Health announced earlier this year it would cover the cost of nirsevimab for infants after hospitals experienced a surge of RSV cases in recent winters. 

Last winter, 131 children under the age of two were admitted to Niagara-area hospitals with RSV, compared to almost no cases during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Niagara Health said in a news release.

In recent clinical trials, nirsevimab decreased hospitalizations by 80 per cent, "which is honestly amazing," said Pernica.