Babies, pregnant mums to have greater RSV protection

Pregnant women and babies will have greater protection against a condition known as respiratory syncytial virus as part of an expanded vaccination program.

The federal government will spend more than $174 million to give pregnant women a free vaccine for RSV ahead of next year's winter, with national access also expanded for newborns and young children.

RSV is one of the leading causes of hospitalisation for young children, with 12,000 babies admitted each winter.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the expanded vaccination scheme would help to keep 10,000 babies out of hospital each year.

"We've seen about 160,000 cases of RSV recorded over the course of this winter, half of them were under-four-year-olds. It really huts under-two-year-olds very, very hard," he told Sky News on Sunday.

"This (vaccination) program we think will cut that hospitalisation rate (for babies) up to 90 per cent, a huge win for families."

RSV is a respiratory virus that affects the nose, throat and lungs, with infants being most at risk.

Mr Butler said immunisations for pregnant women significantly reduces the risk of RSV in children under six months.

"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," he said.

"This is a world-leading approach to reduce the impact of RSV on babies."

The expansion funds will provide free access to Abrysvo, a maternal RSV vaccine, under the National Immunisation Program, in line with a Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee recommendation in June, according to the Royal Australian College of GPs.

The jab typically costs families around $300.

President-elect Dr Michel Wright said the RACGP would work with government to ensure medical practices receive the vaccines they need.

"Providing this vaccine for free under the national program will improve access to the vaccine, reduce the risk of serious infection in new infants and help reduce the health costs that new families face," she said.

Western Australia was the first state to introduce an all-infant RSV immunisation program and provided more than 23,000 infants with protection in winter 2024, resulting in up to 84 per cent fewer hospitalisations in immunised newborns.

Similar outcomes were reported in Queensland, which commenced its own program in April.

Immunisation Foundation Director Catherine Hughes said the exceptional results achieved by the two jurisdictions "contrasted sharply with other parts of Australia where hospitals were overwhelmed by babies struggling to breathe due to severe RSV".