Maternal Vaccine and Infant Shots Both Protect Babies

A study shows both RSV protection methods are highly effective at reducing hospitalizations for full-term infants.

Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Babies

Maternal Vaccine and Infant Shots Both Protect Babies

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A new observational study of over 15,000 full-term infants found no significant difference in RSV protection between maternal vaccination and infant antibody shots. Both preventive options demonstrated high effectiveness in reducing infections and hospitalizations among infants aged 8 to 180 days.

Why it matters

Parents and providers now have evidence that both maternal vaccination during pregnancy and direct infant antibody administration offer strong protection against RSV. This data helps clarify how these different approaches compare in real-world clinical practice during the RSV season.

This observational study of 15,124 full-term infants matched participants across clinical and demographic factors to compare outcomes during the 2023-25 RSV seasons. Findings showed lab-confirmed infection rates of 0.94% for maternal vaccination versus 1.04% for infant nirsevimab.

The players

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

A federal agency that conducts and supports research to better understand, treat, and prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.

Kaiser Permanente Division of Research

A research institution that studies health delivery and clinical outcomes across large, diverse patient populations.

The details

The maternal RSV vaccine is administered between 32 and 36 weeks of pregnancy to boost protective antibodies that cross the placenta to the fetus. Alternatively, the infant antibody nirsevimab is administered directly in the first week of life to provide immediate passive immunity. Both methods effectively prime or equip the infant's system to neutralize the virus, resulting in substantial reductions in both infection and hospitalization rates compared to having no protection.

The study examined data from the 2023-24 RSV season.
Data was also analyzed from the 2024-25 RSV season.
Results were published and presented at IDWeek on October 24, 2026.

Health Landscape

The introduction of both maternal vaccination and nirsevimab has fundamentally changed the standard of care for protecting newborns from RSV. This study follows a pattern of findings presented at the IDWeek clinical conference concerning seasonal pediatric respiratory viral protection.

If you are pregnant or a new parent, discuss these two options with your pediatrician or OB-GYN to determine which approach best fits your clinical profile. Both the maternal vaccine and nirsevimab are proven to significantly lower the risk of severe RSV outcomes in full-term infants.

The takeaway

Both maternal vaccination and nirsevimab provide strong protection against RSV-related illness in infants. If you have questions about which protective strategy is appropriate for your newborn, schedule a conversation with your pediatrician to review the current clinical recommendations.