Respiratory syncytial virus causes approximately 100,000 deaths in children worldwide each year, and the World Health Organization has released immunization product guidelines.

Respiratory syncytial virus is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections in children. The World Health Organization issued a position paper on May 30 for the first time regarding immunization products to prevent infants from being infected with this virus. Globally, respiratory syncytial virus causes more than 3.6 million hospitalizations in children under 5 years old every year, with approximately 100,000 child deaths. About half of the deaths are in infants under 6 months old. 97% of deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where patients have limited access to supportive medical care such as oxygen or fluids.