CDC Data Contradicts Claim of Record U.S. Infant Mortality Low in 2025 Driven by RSV Prophylactics

The VITALIS article asserts CDC provisional data shows a record low of 5.4 infant deaths per 1,000 births in 2025 partly attributable to new RSV prophylactics like nirsevimab. This is directly undermined by prior CDC trends and implementation timelines: actual 2022 final data stood at 5.61 (CDC/NCHS, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-10.pdf), with only marginal provisional declines through 2023-2024 and no published 2025 figures available. RSV monoclonal antibody rollout began fall 2023 with coverage under 50% in first seasons per CDC surveillance (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/coverage/rsvaxview/), producing no measurable population-level infant mortality signal in peer-reviewed studies to date (e.g., MMWR reports through mid-2025 show stable or rising post-neonatal rates in several states). Provisional data historically revises upward, and attributing causality to a single intervention with incomplete uptake overstates impact without supporting cohort evidence.