Recommended by us: RSV "vaccination" for babies
An important topic at the start of the infection season: the so-called RS virus vaccination. So-called because it is not a vaccination in the true sense of the word.
The RSV vaccination is actually an administration of antibodies that remain in the blood over the winter and can thus protect babies from a severe RSV infection.
You can find out what the RS virus is and what happens in the event of an infection here.
We paediatricians are extremely happy and satisfied that it has now been possible to carry out this RSV prophylaxis since winter 2024/25. Because in the winters before that, we really did have a lot of very sick babies, some of whom had to be hospitalised with severe respiratory distress and, in the worst cases, had to be ventilated.
Winter 2024/25 was the first infection period in which RSV prophylaxis was recommended and also carried out across the board. And we saw a reduction in hospital admissions of up to 80 per cent! What we have also seen: The drug is tolerated with virtually no problems. As with vaccinations, children may have a little fever for a day or be cranky, the injection site may be reddened or similar. However, no serious relevant side effects have been seen worldwide.
Therefore, an appeal to all young parents: RSV prophylaxis is a really good and safe thing for babies who are born in the winter months and should definitely be taken up.
Click here for the information sheet from the Robert Koch Institute.
Further interesting tips
Headache
Today, this is a topic that very often needs to be discussed with parents in paediatrics. And it is also a very, very complex topic. It's about headaches in children. Don't worry: in most cases, it doesn't have to be a headache.
Sneezing (photic sneeze reflex)
Do you know this? You step into the sunlight and - whoops - you have to sneeze. This phenomenon is called the photic sneeze reflex. Around a third of all people have this reflex.
Sharenting
"Jeez, what's sharenting?" some people will be thinking. It is the often somewhat careless uploading of children's photos to social media by parents. But there is so much to consider!