Pregnant mothers and babies will be offered a free RSV vaccination before winter 2025 to prevent serious diseases

On By Pranco

Pregnant mothers and newborn babies in every state will have access to free vaccines against the contagious respiratory virus RSV before next winter.

The Albanian government is investing $174.5 million to provide pregnant women with free access to the maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, Abrysvo, under the National Immunization Program.

It will also provide national access to a monoclonal antibody for young infants, Beyfortus, which is currently only available for vulnerable newborns in some states.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that infects the nose, throat and lungs and is a leading cause of hospitalizations in children.

Most children will contract RSV before the age of two, but Health Minister Mark Butler said 12,000 babies are admitted to hospital every winter with a severe case of the virus.

Baby boy attached to tubes in crib in hospital

Spencer Boyd was hospitalized for nine days after contracting RSV. (Louise Boyd )

“This is a leading approach to reducing the impact of RSV on babies,” he said.

“This investment will help keep around 10,000 babies out of hospital.”

The maternal RSV vaccine is currently only available privately for women in the late stages of pregnancy and costs up to $350.

Adelaide parents Louise and Chris Boyd have welcomed the change after seeing their six-week-old baby Spencer lose consciousness in the car on the way to hospital due to RSV in May.

Louise Boyd, a respiratory nurse, said her son developed cold symptoms that quickly worsened to respiratory distress.

Baby Spencer spent nine days at Lyell McEwin Hospital in Adelaide, connected to high-flow oxygen and a feeding tube.

Baby boy on bed in the back of the ambulance

Baby Spence became unresponsive in the car on the way to the hospital, prompting his parents to call an ambulance. (Louise Boyd)

“Seeing your baby surrounded by machines, struggling to breathe, is absolutely devastating,” Ms Boyd said.

“Access to RSV immunization will bring peace of mind to families.”

The federal government announced in September that it would try to strike a deal with Pfizer, the drug’s sponsor, and include the vaccine in the national immunization program.

Immunization Foundation of Australia director Catherine Hughes AM said after extensive campaigning by the foundation and health agencies, “the federal government has listened and acted.”

She said Western Australia was the first state to introduce its own RSV immunization program for all babies, leading to an 84 per cent drop in hospital admissions.

Similar results have been seen in Queensland, where an infant immunization program against RSV was also introduced in April, Ms Hughes said.