Re:Flu and colds are back with a vengeance
by Vecr on Thursday November 10, 2022 @03:03PM
(#33552373)
If the child gets RSV right as their maternal antibodies (to RSV) start fading, it could actually be less severe. It happened with polio, though polio has much more susceptibility to antibodies circulating in the blood if all you care about is severe disease.
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Re:Flu and colds are back with a vengeance
by User23 on Friday November 11, 2022 @11:44PM
(#33570034)
A child receiving maternal immunoglobulins from breast milk during the first year postpartum who is exposed to RSV might not even become noticeably ill or present as a mild cold. Nevertheless the exposure will help teach their developing immune system.
None of that is to downplay the potentially fatal seriousness of RSV. The immune system is imperfect after all. The NICU is maybe the most depressing place I’ve ever been in my life and my heart goes out for every parent who has or has had a child there or in any pediatric ICU.