St. Louis moms participate in vaccine clinical trial to protect babies from RSV

ST. LOUIS (KMOV) - Each year, Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, sends thousands of children to the hospital. It’s especially dangerous for children under six months old. But a new vaccine given to pregnant women could protect their newborns.

“I think if you ask any pediatrician this might be one of their top wishes,” said Dr. Carol Kao, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at WUSM.

Krista Cooper is one of 6,000 women worldwide participating in the Phase 3 clinical trial. The St. Louis area mom received the vaccine during her third trimester.

“Fundamentally I think clinical research is extremely important and I guess nothing like having a baby in the house makes you think about helping little infants with something like RSV,” said Cooper.

Cooper and the other mothers in the study are followed for six months. They are looking for additional participants for the study. For more information: https://rsvvaccinestudy.com/en-us/index.html

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