I would like to take the time to Thank the person/s responsible for developing the criteria to decide how Synagis is distributed. Synagis is the once a month shot that Tyler received November to March for the first two winters to protect against RSV. Synagis is not a vaccine but an antibody that helps a child's immune system respond to RSV faster and more effectively to keep the child from getting dangerously sick. It is a very expensive drug and not distributed to children who are healthy and strong. Most kiddos can fight the virus and just look like they have a really nasty cold.
The children who qualify for Synagis are under the age of two at the start of the season and have documented treatment for Chronic Lung Diseases with in the last 6 months. These kiddos are usually preemies or have cardiac and/or lung problems that diminish their abilities to breath like a normal kid. The reasons they are given Synagis is to prevent further damage to their abilities to breath normally and to prevent more scar tissue from forming in their lungs. The shot gives them a better chance of fighting RSV effectively.
A list of requirements to recieve Synagis
Most kiddos have RSV at least once before the age of 3. (You can suffer from this virus multiple times in you lifetime, usually with decreased severity.) Note the two bold printed numbers. This virus affects the lower respiratory systems; the lungs and cardiovascular. It can produce high volumes of secretions in the lungs (fluid) which makes it harder to breath. This increases the heart rate, breath rate, and reduces the oxygen saturation. For kiddos who can not cough and move the junk up and out, this can lead to secondary infections including pneumonia. This virus can be active for over 8 days and can greatly vary in each person with this contagious aspect (we are talking a few days to a few weeks for someone to be actively contagious). It's a long cycle from starting to be sick, very sick, and starting to heal process. Kiddos with lung disease have to work harder and can quickly require medical treatment. The treatment is purely treating the symptoms. Synagis will not work while a child is infected. There is no true vaccine for it and no antiviral that helps once you have it. This virus will run it's course it's way. Oxygen is given to the sick child and in our case Tyler responds to the Albuteral treatments and steroids. Other than that, wait it out. Not a fun virus.
With that all said here is my gripe.
I have a child with a documented case of Chronic Lung Disease and is on a steroid and bronchodilator (not regularly anymore, but requires them often for colds and bugs), but he's now over the age of 3. He did not qualify this season for Synagis. He now has RSV and is on a ton of oxygen and will have a long recovery even beyond his hospital stay. He has already spent more time in the PICU for this than any of his surgery visits. He is so sick that he hadn't had the energy to want to be held since being admitted until this afternoon.
I do not think all children should have Synagis, that would only make RSV a more powerful virus. I do not believe all children with chronic lung disease will require it for a life time. Again that would make RSV more powerful and put boundaries on that child's ability to grow and heal from the lung disease. A lot of lung disease will eventually heal. What I don't agree with is a strict cut off of 2 years of age. There are some kids that would most definitely benefit from another season or two of Synagis. Instead of leaving them expose to RSV which can infect an at risk kiddos and cause set backs in their healing process, evaluate on an individual level from the ages 3 to 5 the pro's and con's of continuing this preventive treatment. As horrible as it is to say, I hope this hospital visit costs the insurance company more money to treat RSV than it would have to give Tyler the shots.
So again Thank You! criteria developer/s.
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