Vaccines and immunization strategies are the most effective public health measure to prevent serious diseases and complications. The most recent example is bronchiolitis, which until now was the leading cause of hospitalization in children under 1 year of age in Catalonia. Two years ago, the Department of Health launched a vaccine against bronchiolitis. a campaign against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the pathogen that causes this pathology, to protect babies under six months old. Thanks to the good coverage this year, admissions to intensive care units (ICU) fell by 90%, infections were reduced by almost 70% and visits to emergency rooms fell by half (55.5%).

The paediatric emergencies re-live a winter in the middle of June. The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the cause of bronchiolitis, has returned to consultation and intensive care units (ICU) after months of forced disappearance by the pandemic. This time, moreover, it is breaking the patterns of pediatricians: until now it was a virus with a very seasonal behavior and related to the cold. There have always been big peaks of bronchiolitis between the months of November and March. However this year, there have been less than half the expected number of cases. On the other hand, from April onwards - already outside the usual calendar for this virus and with covid increasingly under control - both the number of cases and hospitalisations have risen. In general clinics, for example, the week of May 17, there were more than 200 cases in children under five years old, a figure not seen since February 2020.