The Director General of Public Health, Yelkys Gil, stated that another 20 minors remain hospitalized for this reason in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Children’s Hospital, amidst a rise in respiratory illnesses during the rainy season.

  According to the official, RSV currently accounts for 45 percent of respiratory-related intensive care hospitalizations at that pediatric center, coinciding with high circulation of the virus and an increase in positive influenza cases.

  Faced with this situation, Gil urged pregnant women to receive the maternal vaccine between the 30th and 36th weeks of gestation—a strategy aimed at transferring antibodies to the fetus and reducing the risk of severe illness during the first months of life.

  She also urged parents and caregivers to seek emergency care immediately if children show signs of difficulty breathing, rib retractions, nasal flaring, or a bluish tint to the lips and fingernails—signs that may indicate a rapid worsening of the clinical condition.

  Meanwhile, infectious disease specialist Xavier Sáez-Llorens described the deaths of 13 infants as “totally unacceptable,” noting that safe and effective preventive strategies for the disease have existed for over two years.

  In a message posted on the social network X, the specialist questioned the slow pace at which health authorities have adopted measures and maintained that a lack of resources cannot be a valid argument in a country with one of the highest per capita incomes in Latin America.

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