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Tonnes of microplastics infiltrate Australia’s agricultural soils each year, study shows

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Thursday, March 13, 2025

Gary D Chapman/ShutterstockCompost applied to agricultural soils in Australia each year contains tonnes of microplastics, our research has revealed. These microplastics can harm soil and plant health and eventually enter food crops, potentially posing a risk to humans. In Australia, more than 51% of organic waste – including garden and food waste from households – is recovered and processed. Much of it is turned into compost. However, every kilogram of compost we sampled in our study contained thousands of tiny pieces of plastic, invisible to the naked eye. They come from a range of potential sources, including compostable waste bags used by households to store food scraps. Without swift and effective action, composting may become an environmental crisis, rather than a solution. The research revealed every kilogram of compost contains thousands of tiny pieces of plastic. SIVStockStudio/Shutterstock The problem with microplastics in compost As Australia’s landfill sites become exhausted, finding new uses for organics waste has become crucial. Composting is widely promoted as a solution to managing organic waste. It is comprised of decomposed plant and food waste and other organic materials, which is applied to farms and gardens to enrich the soil and improve plant growth. Many local councils provide residents with kitchen caddies and “compostable” plastic bags to collect food waste. These bags can also be bought from supermarkets. These bags usually contain some plant-based substances. However, some contain fossil-fuel based material. Others may contain “bioplastics” such as that made from corn starch or sugarcane, which require very specific conditions to break down into their natural materials. Research shows some compostable bags are a source of microplastics – plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres. Some compostable bags are a source of microplastics. Hurricanehank/Shutterstock Once applied to soil, microplastics can accumulate over time, posing risks to soil health. For example, research shows microplastics can alter soil structure, limit plant growth, hinder the cycling of nutrients and disrupt microbial communities. This in turn may affect farm productivity. Microplastics can also further degrade into “nanoplastics” small enough to be absorbed by plant roots. From there they can enter stems, leaves, and fruits of agricultural products consumed by humans, posing potential health risks. Internationally, evidence is growing that compost can introduce significant amounts of microplastics into soil. However, little is known about whether organics applied to farm soils in Australia contain microplastics. This study sought to shed light on this. What we found My colleagues and I investigated microplastics in processed organic waste. We took samples from 11 composting facilities in Victoria. We found every kilogram of compost contains between 1,500 and 16,000 microplastic particles. In weight, this equates to between 7 and 760 milligrams of microplastics per kilogram of compost. In Australia, about 26% of compost produced at organic waste processing facilities is used in agriculture. So, we estimate that between 2.7 and 206 tonnes of microplastics is being transported to Australian agricultural land from compost each year. Most microplastic particles we found were “microfibres” and “microfragments”. Microfibres usually derive from synthetic fabrics. Microfragments come from larger plastics, such as packaging material. We then analysed bin bags marketed as compostable or biodegradable, and found their physical and chemical characteristics were very similar to some microfragments we found in organic waste. The microfragments may be coming from other sources as well, such as plastic containers and bags, and plant string scooped into the bin when people collect garden waste. Various microplastic particles from compost samples as seen under the microscope. Hsuan-Cheng Lu Where to now? This study provides the first evidence of microplastics in processed organic waste in Australia. It underscores the need to better understand what happens to microplastics during the composting processes, and how microplastics affect soil health. Policies such as the National Plastic Plan and the National Waste Policy Action Plan promote composting as a key strategy for reducing landfill waste and supporting a circular economy. But these policies do not adequately address the risks of contaminants such as microplastics. In fact, there are no national standards in Australia regulating microplastics in processed organics. The absence of clear guidelines leaves composting facilities, waste processors, and end users vulnerable to unintended plastic pollution. To address this serious environmental issue, urgent action is needed. Authorities should take steps to limit the flow of microplastics into compost, including developing guidelines for composting facilities, waste management companies and households. Monitoring should also be used to track microplastic levels in processed organics, identify their sources and assess the impact on soils and food safety. Shima Ziajahromi receives funding from EPA Victoria, EPA NSW, Water Research Australia, Queensland Government through an Advance Queensland Industry Research Project, co-sponsored by Urban Utilities, Sydney Water, SA Water, Water Corporation (WA) and Eurofins Environment Testing Australia. This project was funded by EPA, Victoria.Frederic Leusch receives funding from the Australian Research Council, EPA Victoria, EPA NSW, Qld DESTI, Water Research Australia, Seqwater, Urban Utilities, Sydney Water, SA Water, Water Corporation and the Global Water Research Coalition. This project was funded by EPA Victoria.Hsuan-Cheng Lu receives funding from EPA Victoria. This project was funded by EPA, Victoria.

Without swift and effective action, composting may become an environmental crisis, rather than a solution.

Gary D Chapman/Shutterstock

Compost applied to agricultural soils in Australia each year contains tonnes of microplastics, our research has revealed. These microplastics can harm soil and plant health and eventually enter food crops, potentially posing a risk to humans.

In Australia, more than 51% of organic waste – including garden and food waste from households – is recovered and processed. Much of it is turned into compost.

However, every kilogram of compost we sampled in our study contained thousands of tiny pieces of plastic, invisible to the naked eye. They come from a range of potential sources, including compostable waste bags used by households to store food scraps.

Without swift and effective action, composting may become an environmental crisis, rather than a solution.

gloved hand picks through microplastic pile
The research revealed every kilogram of compost contains thousands of tiny pieces of plastic. SIVStockStudio/Shutterstock

The problem with microplastics in compost

As Australia’s landfill sites become exhausted, finding new uses for organics waste has become crucial.

Composting is widely promoted as a solution to managing organic waste. It is comprised of decomposed plant and food waste and other organic materials, which is applied to farms and gardens to enrich the soil and improve plant growth.

Many local councils provide residents with kitchen caddies and “compostable” plastic bags to collect food waste. These bags can also be bought from supermarkets.

These bags usually contain some plant-based substances. However, some contain fossil-fuel based material. Others may contain “bioplastics” such as that made from corn starch or sugarcane, which require very specific conditions to break down into their natural materials.

Research shows some compostable bags are a source of microplastics – plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres.

woman places food scraps into bin
Some compostable bags are a source of microplastics. Hurricanehank/Shutterstock

Once applied to soil, microplastics can accumulate over time, posing risks to soil health. For example, research shows microplastics can alter soil structure, limit plant growth, hinder the cycling of nutrients and disrupt microbial communities. This in turn may affect farm productivity.

Microplastics can also further degrade into “nanoplastics” small enough to be absorbed by plant roots. From there they can enter stems, leaves, and fruits of agricultural products consumed by humans, posing potential health risks.

Internationally, evidence is growing that compost can introduce significant amounts of microplastics into soil. However, little is known about whether organics applied to farm soils in Australia contain microplastics. This study sought to shed light on this.

What we found

My colleagues and I investigated microplastics in processed organic waste. We took samples from 11 composting facilities in Victoria.

We found every kilogram of compost contains between 1,500 and 16,000 microplastic particles. In weight, this equates to between 7 and 760 milligrams of microplastics per kilogram of compost.

In Australia, about 26% of compost produced at organic waste processing facilities is used in agriculture. So, we estimate that between 2.7 and 206 tonnes of microplastics is being transported to Australian agricultural land from compost each year.

Most microplastic particles we found were “microfibres” and “microfragments”. Microfibres usually derive from synthetic fabrics. Microfragments come from larger plastics, such as packaging material.

We then analysed bin bags marketed as compostable or biodegradable, and found their physical and chemical characteristics were very similar to some microfragments we found in organic waste.

The microfragments may be coming from other sources as well, such as plastic containers and bags, and plant string scooped into the bin when people collect garden waste.

close-up image of microplastics
Various microplastic particles from compost samples as seen under the microscope. Hsuan-Cheng Lu

Where to now?

This study provides the first evidence of microplastics in processed organic waste in Australia. It underscores the need to better understand what happens to microplastics during the composting processes, and how microplastics affect soil health.

Policies such as the National Plastic Plan and the National Waste Policy Action Plan promote composting as a key strategy for reducing landfill waste and supporting a circular economy.

But these policies do not adequately address the risks of contaminants such as microplastics. In fact, there are no national standards in Australia regulating microplastics in processed organics.

The absence of clear guidelines leaves composting facilities, waste processors, and end users vulnerable to unintended plastic pollution.

To address this serious environmental issue, urgent action is needed.

Authorities should take steps to limit the flow of microplastics into compost, including developing guidelines for composting facilities, waste management companies and households.

Monitoring should also be used to track microplastic levels in processed organics, identify their sources and assess the impact on soils and food safety.

The Conversation

Shima Ziajahromi receives funding from EPA Victoria, EPA NSW, Water Research Australia, Queensland Government through an Advance Queensland Industry Research Project, co-sponsored by Urban Utilities, Sydney Water, SA Water, Water Corporation (WA) and Eurofins Environment Testing Australia. This project was funded by EPA, Victoria.

Frederic Leusch receives funding from the Australian Research Council, EPA Victoria, EPA NSW, Qld DESTI, Water Research Australia, Seqwater, Urban Utilities, Sydney Water, SA Water, Water Corporation and the Global Water Research Coalition. This project was funded by EPA Victoria.

Hsuan-Cheng Lu receives funding from EPA Victoria. This project was funded by EPA, Victoria.

Read the full story here.
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The federal workforce purge begins

OMB confirms sweeping layoffs across major agencies as unions sue and the shutdown grinds on

The Trump administration began large-scale firings of federal workers this week as part of an aggressive strategy to pressure Democrats during the ongoing government shutdown, marking one of the most sweeping workforce purges in modern U.S. history. According to the Office of Management and Budget, “substantial” layoffs are underway across at least seven federal departments, including Treasury, Health and Human Services, Education, Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Early estimates suggest more than 4,000 employees are being terminated under “reduction in force” (RIF) procedures, with thousands more facing potential dismissal if the budget impasse continues. The RIFs have begun. — Russ Vought (@russvought) October 10, 2025 The White House framed the move as a necessary step to “restore accountability” and eliminate “politically motivated obstruction” within the federal bureaucracy. OMB Director Russ Vought confirmed the action publicly, posting, “The RIFs have begun.” Administration officials argue that many affected positions are tied to programs misaligned with the president’s priorities. Critics, including labor unions and civil service advocates, have called the firings unlawful and politically driven. The American Federation of Government Employees and other unions plan to challenge the dismissals in court, citing violations of due process and long-standing federal employment protections. Even Congressional politicians are joining the conversation. While few details have been shared about Russell Vought’s latest layoffs, there is no question this is poorly timed and yet another example of this administration’s punitive actions toward the federal workforce. The termination of federal employees in a shutdown will further hurt… — Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) October 10, 2025 The cuts go far beyond typical furloughs associated with past shutdowns, raising questions about service disruptions, long-term staffing gaps, and the precedent it sets for future administrations. Analysts warn that permanent layoffs could cripple key agencies and deepen dysfunction in an already strained federal system. The government remains in partial shutdown as negotiations over a funding bill stall on Capitol Hill. Meanwhile, confusion continues over whether terminated employees will receive retroactive pay once the shutdown ends — an issue that could soon add another legal battle to the widening crisis. Read more about the 2025 Shutdown Federal agencies go MAGA amid shutdown Democrats are winning the health care shutdown war How the government shutdown is hitting the health care system The post The federal workforce purge begins appeared first on Salon.com.

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Gavin Newsom signs law overhauling local zoning to build more housing

After weeks of waiting, California’s governor signed a bill that will allow mid-rise apartment buildings near major transit stops in California’s biggest metro areas.

In summary After weeks of waiting, California’s governor signed a bill that will allow mid-rise apartment buildings near major transit stops in California’s biggest metro areas. Ever since the Legislature narrowly passed Senate Bill 79 last month, legislation that will pave the way for more apartment buildings around major public transit stops in the state’s biggest metro areas, the California political universe has been impatiently awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature or veto in a heated statewide game of “will he, won’t he.” Today, he did.  Newsom’s sign off on the bill means that apartment developers will soon be able to pack more homes into neighborhoods within half a mile of major rail, subway, and bus rapid transit stops, overriding local zoning restrictions and any possible objections of surrounding neighbors. Buildings immediately surrounding these transit hubs will be entitled to max out as high as nine stories, with those further out topping out at roughly four. “The world looks to California for leadership — it’s time to build modern, connected communities that fulfill California’s promise, meeting the needs of today and the next generation,” the governor wrote in a signing statement. The signature caps off a legislative year full of housing policy overhauls that even just a few years ago would have seemed unthinkable. It also reaffirms the governor’s political alignment with the “Yes In My Backyard” movement, which has been championing the cause of building more housing in the face of a statewide housing shortage for nearly a decade. This summer Newsom signed YIMBY-backed legislation to exempt most urban apartment projects from review under one of the state’s signature environmental protection laws. “Go YIMBYs,” Newsom said when signing that bill into law.  Senate Bill 79 is, indeed, a signature victory for the movement. The bill’s author, San Francisco Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat, introduced an earlier version of the policy in 2018 with the support of the then still relatively new political organization California YIMBY. This year’s version, which narrowly passed both the Senate and Assembly last month with few votes to spare, marks Wiener’s fourth attempt. Learn more about legislators mentioned in this story. Scott Wiener Democrat, State Senate, District 11 (San Francisco) “In California we talk a lot about where we don’t want to build homes, but rarely do we talk about where we do—until now,” said Wiener in a statement. “SB 79 unwinds decades of overly restrictive policies that have driven housing costs to astronomical levels, forcing millions of people away from jobs and transit and into long commutes from the suburbs or out of the state entirely. It has been a long road to tackling these decades-old problems, but today’s signing marks a new day for affordable housing in California.” Newsom’s signature comes as a grave disappointment for many local governments and neighborhood groups, particularly in Southern California. 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By Mohammed AttiBASRA, Iraq (Reuters) -Bees once thrived among the date palms along the Shatt al-Arab, where Iraq's mighty Tigris and Euphrates...

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) -Bees once thrived among the date palms along the Shatt al-Arab, where Iraq's mighty Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet, but drought has shrivelled the green trees and life in the apiaries that dot the riverbank is under threat.In the historic port city of Basra, beekeepers following centuries-long traditions are struggling to produce honey as the salinity of water in Shatt al-Arab rises, along with extreme heat and persistent droughts that have disturbed the bees' delicate ecosystem."Bees need clean ... water. The lack of this water leads to their death," said Mahmoud Shaker, 61, a professor at Basra University who has his own apiary.BASRA WAS KNOWN FOR ITS HONEYThe banks of the Shatt al-Arab were once a lush jungle where bees would feast, producing high-quality honey that was a good source of income for Iraqi beekeepers in the southern city.But decades of conflict and a changing climate have slowly diminished the greenery, putting the bee population at risk. Less than a quarter of the palm trees on the riverbanks of Shatt al-Arab have survived, with fewer than 3 million trees now, from a peak of nearly 16 million.There were more than 4,000 bee hives in at least 263 apiaries around the city, the assistant director of the Basra office in the agriculture ministry, Dr. Mohammed Mahdi Muzaal Al-Diraoui, told Reuters. But due to conflict and the harsh environmental conditions, around 150 apiaries have been damaged and at least 2,000 hives lost, he said."Environmental conditions and salt water have harmed the bees, causing significant losses. Some beekeepers have completely lost their apiaries," Al-Diraoui said.As a result, honey production in the area is expected to decline by up to 50% this season compared to the previous year, Al-Diraoui said.At its peak, honey production from the Basra region was around 30 tons a year, he said, but has been declining since 2007-2008, falling sharply to 12 tons in the past five years, with production this season expected to reach just six tons.DECADES OF WAR, AND NOW A WATER CRISISIraq has endured decades of warfare - from war with Iran in the 1980s, to the Gulf War of the early 1990s, the 2003 U.S.-led invasion followed by insurgent violence and rise and fall of the Islamic State group. Its latest challenge, however, is a water shortage that is putting its whole ecology at risk.Water security has become a pressing issue in the oil-rich nation as levels in Euphrates and Tigris have declined sharply, worsened by upstream dams, mostly in Turkey. For Shatt al-Arab that meant a surge of seawater from the Arabian Gulf into the waterway, raising salinity to unprecedented levels.Its riverbanks, once lined with groves rich in nectar and flowers, have been devastated as salinity levels soared, while bees also struggle with extreme heat, with summer temperatures in Basra reaching 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), Shaker said.As the salinity of Shatt al-Arab's water rises, the bee population remains at risk, and some areas on the riverbanks of southern Basra have already stopped production, Al-Diraoui said."I expect that if the water crisis continues at this rate over the next year, especially if salt water reaches areas in northern Basra, honey production will come to a complete halt."(Reporting by Mohammed Atti in Basra, Writing by Nayera AbdallahEditing by Ros Russell)Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.Photos You Should See – Sept. 2025

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The Fight to End Childhood RSV in Indian Country

American Indian and Alaska Native infants experience the highest rates of RSV-related hospitalization in the U.S., but a breakthrough immunization is helping to close the gap

This article is part of “Innovations In: RSV,” an editorially independent special report that was produced with financial support from MSD, Sanofi and AstraZeneca.At first, Ethel Branch thought her two-year-old son, Patro, had a cold or maybe the flu. But on a chilly day in November 2022, a seemingly common childhood ailment took a hairpin turn that nearly sent him into respiratory failure.That day, fever, congestion and lethargy set in to the point that Branch took Patro to an emergency room in Winslow, Ariz., where he was diagnosed with croup, given steroids and released.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.But the following day, his temperature climbed and his chest began to cave in with each breath. Frantic, Branch rushed Patro to the larger Flagstaff Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), placed on oxygen and admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit.“My son got COVID, and it was not that bad,” Branch recalls. “In fact, he didn't even really present symptoms. But with RSV, I couldn’t have waited any longer before taking him into the ER because his chest was depressed.”Patro left the hospital after four days, but his recovery was far from over. Three years later, he still goes to the emergency room for oxygen and breathing treatments every winter.For Branch, a Harvard-trained lawyer and former attorney general of the Navajo Nation, her son’s encounter with RSV was eye-opening. She realized that the dangers of RSV were largely unrecognized—not just by her or the health care workers who initially misdiagnosed him but across her tribal community as well.Over time, she also learned that her son’s experience was shockingly common among Native Americans, especially those on reservations, where lack of infrastructure and multigenerational households make them uniquely vulnerable to this and other illnesses. As a result, American Indian and Alaska Native infants bear the tragic distinction of experiencing the highest rates of RSV-related hospitalization in the country.After Patro contracted RSV, he spent four days in the pediatric intensive care unit at Flagstaff Medical Center in Arizona in 2022.But one year after Patro’s RSV scare, scientific breakthroughs emerged that have begun to bend the RSV curve among young children in Native communities: a monoclonal antibody and a maternal vaccine that can dramatically cut RSV-related hospitalizations among infants.Disease and Resilience on Navajo LandsWith a population of more than 400,000, the Navajo Nation (whose people are known as the Diné, pronounced Din-EH, in their language) is the largest federally recognized tribe in the U.S. And its reservation—home to more than 165,000 residents—is the largest in the country, encompassing roughly 27,000 square miles in northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico and southeastern Utah. With a rich heritage, a distinct language and cultural traditions rooted in family and ties to their land, the Diné remain one of the strongest, most vibrant Indigenous communities in the world.Throughout their history, the Diné—like many other tribes—have endured devastating epidemics, including smallpox, mumps and pneumonia in the 17th and 18th centuries, which decimated their population. Their forced removal from their lands in 1864, known as the Long Walk, led to deadly outbreaks of measles, dysentery and pneumonia at the Bosque Redondo internment camp at Fort Sumner, N.M. The 1918 influenza pandemic killed an estimated 3,000 Diné, roughly one quarter of the tribe, according to the Navajo Times.In his seminal history on the pre-Columbian Americas, author Charles C. Mann noted that none of the major infectious diseases—including smallpox, measles, typhoid, leprosy, bubonic plague, tuberculosis, scarlet fever, diphtheria, influenza and cholera—existed in the Western Hemisphere prior to European contact.Recognizing the lethality of these diseases, the Europeans turned to biological warfare to destroy and subjugate Native communities by giving them smallpox-infected blankets, clothing and other “gifts,” deliberately spreading the deadly illness among Indigenous populations, according to medical researchers at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Greece.Because of their lack of exposure and immunity to these pathogens, scientists and geographers estimate that by the beginning of the 1600s, infectious disease brought to the Americas killed more than 56 million Indigenous people, representing roughly 10 percent of the entire global population at the time. This was one of the deadliest demographic collapses in human history. In some cases, entire tribes became extinct, and their languages, histories and cultural ways died with them.When COVID arrived in early 2020, tribal nations across North America immediately understood the threat and implemented strict prevention measures, including lockdowns, checkpoints, temperature checks, masking and other methods to protect their communities.When vaccines became available, tribes became national public health leaders by testing and vaccinating their own members and opening their clinics and hospitals to the general public.Despite these efforts, tribal communities from Alaska to Maine still experienced some of the highest rates of COVID infection and death in the country. As of January 1, 2025, the Navajo Nation has recorded 93,980 confirmed cases and 2,334 deaths, according to the Navajo Epidemiology Center, and at one point it claimed the highest per capita infection rate nationwide.But even as COVID captured global attention, a quieter but relentless virus continued to stalk tribal communities, striking Native American infants and toddlers with unmatched severity: RSV.Battling RSV amid Social ChallengesRSV hospitalization rates among Indigenous infants and toddlers are up to 10 times higher than the rate in the general population.RSV has been a persistent threat among all tribes. Among them, its effect has been devastating in Alaska’s Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, the Navajo Nation and the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Arizona, where pediatric hospitalization rates are among the highest in the world.RSV spreads rapidly through droplets, which can be transmitted from person to person via coughing or sneezing, direct human contact such as touching or kissing or contact with a contaminated surface. RSV can survive on hard surfaces for hours.The virus’s spread is often accelerated by living conditions and other socioeconomic factors on Native lands, such as overcrowded housing, limited access to health care and clean water, environmental hazards and barriers to transportation.These stark disparities have been driven largely by generations of displacement, broken treaties and systemic neglect. As tribes were forced by the federal government into isolated and under-resourced reservations in the late 1800s, these conditions became the norm.The legacy of those policies continues to shape the health of their communities, resulting in higher rates of infectious diseases such as RSV, according to public health experts and tribal epidemiologists.“Water alone is a huge public health issue for us because roughly 30 percent of the households on our reservation have no running water,” Branch says. “And it’s very expensive for our people to haul their own, and they have to ration, which has had a direct impact on the health of the Navajo Nation.”Access to basic resources and challenging living conditions have created environments where infectious diseases thrive—which highlights how health outcomes are tied to social inequities, says Laura Hammitt, director of Infectious Disease Programs at the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health.Laura Hammitt, director of Infectious Disease Programs at the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, guided the Indigenous research portion of a worldwide nirsevimab study. American Indian and Alaska Native children have some of the highest rates of RSV transmission, hospitalization and mortality in the country.“Social determinants of health are really the root cause of the elevated RSV disease burden among Native American children,” Hammitt says. “This is a disease of poverty.”Even though the disparity has been well documented in medical research over many years, that information has rarely reached Native families themselves. That’s partly because the symptoms of RSV are similar to those of other respiratory illnesses, such as the flu and the common cold. And there haven’t been culturally relevant public health campaigns about RSV on Native lands, according to public health experts.“I was doing a lot of advocacy relating to COVID at the time [of the pandemic], because I was leading the Navajo and Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund, a mutual aid nonprofit,” Branch explains. “So I had a hyperawareness of things like this. But even so, I had no idea what RSV was.”After her son’s hospitalization, Branch began researching RSV and was shocked to learn that high transmission rates on the Navajo Nation reservation had been a serious problem for years.As COVID cases began to decline and lockdowns eased on the reservation, she realized a public health crisis was emerging as people began to gather again, spreading germs. RSV surged among the tribe’s children, so Branch penned a column in the Navajo Times about her son’s experience and began educating other parents and caregivers about the risks and warning signs of RSV.Meanwhile frontline health workers, armed with experience from COVID, were building better systems to track and fight infectious diseases, laying the groundwork that continues to shape the Navajo Nation’s response to RSV and other medical threats.How COVID Shaped the RSV ResponseWhen pediatrician Amanda Burrage arrived at the Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation on the Navajo Nation reservation in 2018, the facility had no coordinated effort to track and monitor RSV cases and admissions. But the emergence of COVID served as a catalyst for transforming the public health apparatus.Burrage led the efforts at Tuba City’s hospital by organizing a comprehensive response, including data collection, contact tracing, community outreach, disease surveillance, testing, vaccination campaigns and staff training. Once that infrastructure was in place, Burrage and her team could apply these same tools to other infectious diseases such as RSV.“Prior to COVID, we did not have anybody on staff at Tuba City focused on the data or tracking the RSV tests that were positive and cases that were hospitalized,” says Burrage, who serves as the facility’s medical director of public health. She splits her time between her clinical practice and public health efforts aimed at improving disease surveillance, prevention and response across the region.Amanda Burrage, a pediatrician and public health expert, is leading the efforts at Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation on the Navajo Nation reservation to ensure children receive nirsevimab immunizations against RSV.As COVID cases began to recede, RSV transmission and hospitalizations started to spike at Tuba City, signaling the virus’s aggressive return after people stopped isolating.RSV primarily attacks the respiratory tract, inflaming the small airways and making it difficult for infants and children to breathe. The virus can cause a severe buildup of mucus that blocks airflow, reducing oxygen levels in the blood. For some children, this can quickly spiral into pneumonia or bronchiolitis, requiring hospitalization and sometimes intensive care. Because young children have more fragile immune systems and lungs, RSV can overwhelm their bodies quickly, making it one of the most dangerous respiratory viruses for infants and toddlers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.“Once RSV is present, there is only supportive care,” Burrage says. “There is really no treatment, and it becomes about management of symptoms and monitoring for complications.”A Breakthrough Years in the MakingIn 2019, before COVID emerged in the U.S., a multidisciplinary team of physicians, epidemiologists, public health professionals and national research institutions joined forces in a monumental global effort to study the efficacy of a new immunization that helps to prevent severe RSV infections in infants and children.Nirsevimab, under the commercial name Beyfortus, is a monoclonal antibody that provides infants passive immunization from RSV. Developed jointly by AstraZeneca and Sanofi, it’s not technically a “vaccine” but an immunization that works by delivering antibodies that target the RSV-F protein, offering the strongest protection in the weeks after it is administered.Native Americans played a small but crucial role in a clinical trial of nirsevimab known as the MELODY study. Hammitt, who served as the lead investigator for the Indigenous portion of the trial, worked closely with the Navajo Nation to recruit participants and monitor the outcomes, ensuring the research was conducted in a culturally respectful and collaborative way.The initial phase of the trial was postponed during the first year of the pandemic but started again in 2021, according to Hammitt. Out of 1,490 global participants in that phase, approximately 83 Navajo infants were enrolled at Fort Defiance, Ariz., and at Shiprock and Gallup in New Mexico.The study’s integration of Indigenous communities provided critical data on the immunization’s efficacy in a high-risk group. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices subsequently endorsed nirsevimab for all infants under eight months born during or entering their first RSV season. The committee made a special recommendation that American Indian and Alaska Native children aged eight months to 19 months receive a second dose for their second RSV season.When the trial began, prior to COVID, “we had pretty comprehensive data on what RSV looked like in a prepandemic setting,” Hammitt says. “We found that the Navajo Nation’s rate of serious RSV infection and hospitalization was about five times higher than the general U.S. numbers.”The results from the first phase of the trial were dramatic and immediate and showed that nirsevimab was about 75 percent effective at preventing RSV illness that required medical attention, says Hammitt, who has spent decades partnering with tribes in the U.S. Southwest and Alaska to study the impact of infectious disease on their communities.“We were a small but important part of the MELODY trial because of the need to really demonstrate that immunizations that are licensed and recommended work in the populations that need them the most,” she explains.After nirsevimab’s approval in 2023 by the Food and Drug Administration, public health officials at the Navajo Nation set their new public health apparatus in motion, reaching out to parents with eligible babies. Pfizer’s RSV vaccine for pregnant people, Abrysvo, was also approved that year and offered parents another option to protect their babies. A single dose administered between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation confers protection to the fetus through the placenta and lasts for about six months after birth.“We were very proactive in reaching every family who had a child that was eligible,” says Burrage, whose staff worked overtime on parent outreach at Tuba City. “We sent letters, made phone calls. And whenever a parent is in for a well-child visit or at prenatal checkups, we certainly offer it.”Burrage reports there has been a small increase in the number of parents who are hesitant to accept the shot because of the influence of antivaccine groups and misinformation. But given the risks and high prevalence of RSV among Navajo children, she says, the vast majority are choosing to immunize their children. A second antibody injection, Enflonsia, was approved by the FDA for infant use in June 2025. “We certainly recognize this to be a game-changer for us in our community,” Burrage says. “Many people know somebody who’s had severe illness that was admitted [to a hospital] with RSV—an older sibling, a niece or nephew. People recognize that it can be severe for young children and have almost universally accepted it.”After Patro’s hospital stay, Branch began educating other parents and caregivers about the risks of RSV in the Navajo Nation. She encourages all Indigenous parents to get their children immunized against the virus.Branch, who now serves as deputy county attorney for the Coconino County Attorney’s Office in Flagstaff, Ariz., hopes her son’s story will serve as a wake-up call regarding the dangers of RSV.Patro fell ill before any prevention measures were available. Every winter she has to whisk him to the emergency room if he shows signs of wheezing or labored breathing, a vestige of his serious brush with RSV in 2022.“You don't want your kid to get RSV—ever,” Branch says. “So get that vaccine so you can save yourself and your child the trauma of having it in the first place, which is a horrible experience for everyone. There are long-lasting effects, and you don’t want to have to go into the ER every winter with your child.”

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