Pregnant mothers and their babies will be offered free RSV vaccinations before next winter in a new $174 million government initiative.
The background: Pregnant mothers and newborn babies across Australia will have access to free RSV vaccines before next winter.
Maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus and is a leading cause of childhood hospitalisation, particularly under the age of six months.
It's expected the vaccine program will drop hospitalisations by up to 90 per cent.
The key quote: "This is a world-leading approach to reduce the impact of RSV on babies. Our combination approach, in partnership with each state and territory, will ensure that every single infant in Australia is protected ahead of the winter RSV season." – Health Minister Mark Butler.
The vaccines are expected to prevent the majority of the 12,000 hospital admissions for babies with severe RSV every winter. Source: Getty / Karl Tapales
What else to know: 12,000 babies are admitted to hospital every winter with severe RSV. The free vaccines are expected to prevent 10,000 of these.
Women will have the choice to either take the Abrysvo vaccine during pregnancy or have their newborn vaccinated with Beyfortus.
Currently, the maternal RSV vaccine known as Abrysvo is only available privately for women in the late stages of pregnancy and costs $350.
Access to Beyfortus, a monoclonal antibody for young babies, will also be widened. At the moment, it's only available to vulnerable newborns in some states.
The vaccinations will take place under the National Immunisation Program, with the Albanese government investing $174.5 million.
What happens next: RSV vaccines can be given at any time of the year, but it is recommended they're taken before the start of RSV season in winter.
