Dr Barbara Plagg

Dr Barbara Plagg, researcher at the Provincial College for Health Professions Claudiana in Bolzano, Italy, and mother of two, shared both her personal and professional perspective on RSV. Despite extensive precautions, her full-term daughter contracted RSV from her older sibling.

Dr Plagg spoke about the emotional toll RSV takes on families and stressed the need to stop victim-blaming parents, particularly when preventive measures fail in real-world settings. She called for stronger public health strategies, such as better communication between daycares and families, expanded testing, and societal support for high-risk groups. Her key message was the importance of shifting responsibility from parents to society and healthcare systems to create effective collective prevention strategies.

Dr Plagg is a valued member of the expert group of the international study ‘ResQ Family’ of the European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (EFCNI).

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