Bronchiolitis: protect your baby before winter

Just one injection keeps your baby safe all winter. Book your appointment today!

Facebook Twitter

A campaign to prevent many hospitalisations

Every winter, bronchiolitis returns and affects thousands of babies in Belgium. Most recover well, but some develop severe breathing difficulties requiring hospitalisation, sometimes even in intensive care.

To protect babies as effectively as possible, the Queen Fabiola University Children’s Hospital (HUDERF) and the Erasme Hospital are organising an immunisation campaign from 1 September to 31 October 2025 for babies born between 19 February and 30 September 2025.

What is the difference between vaccination and immunisation?

This is not a classic vaccine:

  • A vaccine trains the child’s immune system to produce its own antibodies.
  • Immunisation with monoclonal antibodies (Beyfortus®) directly provides the antibodies needed to protect your baby against the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), the main cause of bronchiolitis.
  • One intramuscular injection is enough to protect your baby for at least five months – covering the entire 2025–2026 winter season.

A large international study showed that immunisation reduced hospitalisations by 83% in babies under one year of age.

Why protect your baby?

Bronchiolitis is highly contagious and spreads through coughs and sneezes.

In infants, it can cause:

  • breathing difficulties,
  • feeding problems,
  • and in some cases, hospitalisation.

Immunisation significantly reduces this risk and prevents many severe cases.

What about babies yet to be born?

  • If your baby is due between September 2025 and January 2026, there are two possible options:
    • maternal vaccination during pregnancy (Abrysvo®, between the 28th and 36th week),
    • or immunisation of the newborn after birth.
      ➝ Only one of these measures is needed to provide effective protection.
  • If your baby is born from February 2026 until the end of the RSV season, immunisation will be administered directly in the maternity ward.

And if hospitalisation is necessary?

At HUDERF, a specialised unit for infants admits babies with bronchiolitis every year.

  • Parents can stay with their child day and night.
  • In cases of severe respiratory distress, the team uses high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy, a modern and comfortable device that helps babies breathe more easily and often reduces the need for more invasive support.

Practical information

  • Who is concerned? Babies born between 19 February and 30 September 2025.
  • When? From 1 September to 31 October 2025.
  • How? A 10-minute appointment in dedicated paediatric consultations.
  • Protection: a single injection of Beyfortus®, largely reimbursed (only the co-payment remains at the parents’ expense).
  • Special cases:
    • Babies born in October 2025 will automatically receive immunisation in the maternity ward.
    • Children aged 1–2 years are only eligible if they have certain risk factors (severe prematurity, chronic lung disease, congenital heart disease).

Book your appointment today

 

Pédiatrie Intégrée et Médecine de l'Adolescent | Hôpital Universitaire des Enfants Reine Fabiola

Unité Nourrisson | Hôpital Universitaire des Enfants Reine Fabiola

Etude anticorps monoclonaux Beyfortus:  The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health