Cook Children’s Urges RSV Shot to Boost Immunity in Infants
A medication that protects babies against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is available now at Cook Children’s physician offices and neighborhood clinics.
It’s a dose of antibodies that works right away to help fight off severe RSV infection for at least five months. Getting the shot in October – just before RSV season -- provides an infant with extra antibodies to build their immunity during the fall and winter months.
In November 2023, Cook Children’s saw a spike in RSV at our Urgent Care centers and Emergency Departments, the highest volume of cases in recent years.
“RSV is one of the most common winter viruses. All of us catch RSV in the first couple of years of life," said Mary Suzanne Whitworth, M.D., Medical Director of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Cook Children’s.
In older children, RSV typically causes cold-like symptoms such as cough and runny nose. But babies under 12 months don’t have fully developed immune systems, Dr. Whitworth said. They tend to get sicker with RSV, a leading cause for wintertime hospitalization in infants.
Severe RSV in infants tends to impact the lungs. Infants should be seen by a doctor if they’re struggling to breathe. If your baby is sick, Dr. Whitworth said, watch for rapid breathing, flared nostrils, airway congestion, wheezing or a rattle you can hear or feel in their chest. Other concerning signs are excessive sleepiness, lack of appetite and trouble feeding.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the preventive medication, called nirsevimab, in 2023 after clinical trials showed it reduces the risk of hospitalization for RSV by 75%.
Every infant under age 1 needs the medication ahead of RSV season, Dr. Whitworth said. Some older babies need the shot too if they have certain underlying health conditions. Here’s the breakdown.
Stopping RSV Two Ways
The first option Pfizer's Abrysvo, given during weeks 32-36 of pregnancy. Maternal antibodies are passed to your baby and protect against RSV for about six months after birth.
Infants who don’t have maternal antibodies should get a dose of nirsevimab shortly before the RSV season. Infants born from October to March should receive the medication within one week of birth, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC also recommends nirsevimab for certain young children shortly before their second RSV season. This higher-risk group includes children who were preemies, or those with chronic lung disease, compromised immune systems or cystic fibrosis.
The injection delivers safe and effective antibodies, Dr. Whitworth said, and the most common side effect is soreness from the needle stick. She encourages parents to ask their baby’s pediatrician for the shot in October, before hospitalizations for RSV start climbing in infants.
“They are going to be exposed to RSV. It is a virus we are exposed to regularly all winter long.” she said. “The immediate benefits of the shot are huge.”
Cook Children’s has the RSV shot available at our seven Neighborhood Health Centers in the Fort Worth area and more than 40 pediatric offices from Aledo to Willow Park.
Additionally, the Tarrant County Health Department is offering this product to infants ages 2 – 8 months with state-funded insurance or no insurance and infants 8 – 19 months with a qualifying diagnosis.
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About Cook Children's Health Care System
Cook Children’s is more than a health care system: we strive to be an extension of your family, growing with your child from their first steps to adulthood. By collaborating to deliver on our Promise—to improve the well-being of every child in our care and our communities, we connect the dots for our patients. Between primary and specialty. Between home and medical home. Between short-term care and long-term health. 
Based in Fort Worth, Texas, we’re 9,700+ dedicated team members strong, passionately caring for over 2 million patient encounters each year. Our integrated, not-for-profit organization spans two medical centers (including our state-of-the-art location in Prosper), two surgery centers, a physician network, home health services and a health plan. It also includes Child Study Center at Cook Children's, Cook Children's Health Services Inc., and Cook Children's Health Foundation. In 2024, Forbes named Cook Children’s the top health care employer in the U.S., and third on the list of ‘America’s Best Large Employers.’
And our impact extends beyond the borders of Texas. We proudly treat children from virtually every state in the nation and 32 countries. By seeing the world through the eyes of children and their families from all backgrounds, we’re able to shape health care suited to them: connected by kindness, imagination and respect—with an extra dose of magical wonder.
Discover more at cookchildrens.org.
