India, June 2 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its first-ever position paper on immunisation products to protect infants against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) - the leading cause of acute lower respiratory infections in children globally.

Every year, RSV causes about 100000 deaths and over 3.6million hospitalizations in children under the age of 5 years worldwide. About half of these deaths occur in infants younger than 6 months of age. The vast majority (97%) of RSV deaths in infants occur in low- and middle-income countries where there is limited access to supportive medical care, such as oxygen or hydration.

Published in the Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER),theposition paperoutlines WHO recommendations for ...