By warding off diseases like influenza and pertussis, immunizations play a critical role in infant and early childhood health. Immunizations protect infants from life-threatening diseases, which can lead to both hospitalization and longterm complications.
One such disease common among infants is respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. RSV affects most children by the time they are two years old and is the leading cause of hospitalization for all infants under age one. Infants younger than one are 16 times more likely to be hospitalized for RSV than for the flu, and RSV accounts for 500,000 emergency room visits in young children each year. One in seven infants receive medical attention for a lower respiratory tract infection during the RSV season.
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