Victoria subsidises RSV immunisations for babies

Victorian infants will be better protected against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), after the State Government announced a $18.7 million immunisation program.
 
Under the program, the subsidised long-acting monoclonal antibody will be made available for unprotected newborns and eligible infants next year.
 
The immunisation will be available for infants whose mother was unable to be immunised or was immunised less than two weeks before delivery, covering the winter peak from April to September.
 
RACGP Victoria Deputy Chair Dr Aadhil Aziz welcomed the announcement, saying it is something the college has long been advocating for.
 
‘We’re very happy and very excited that they are listening to us, and this is something that is obviously going to save a lot of lives,’ he told newsGP.
 
The announcement comes as cases of RSV in Australia have skyrocketed in 2024, with 159,328 reported for the year to date, compared to 128,115 in the entirety of 2023.
 
So far this year, New South Wales has reported 67,870 cases of RSV, the most in the country, followed by 36,495 cases in Queensland, 29,039 in Victoria, and 11,291 in South Australia.
 
Of all cases across Australia, 50% were in children aged younger than four years and a further 8% of cases were in children between five and nine years old.
 
Dr Aziz said that, in the wake of this surge in cases, he hopes the subsidy will encourage more parents to get the immunisation.
 
‘We’ve had RSV vaccines available for some time now, but they were not publicly funded, so this is something that is going to be publicly funded and therefore, usually, when there is no upfront cost to the patient, it does have a much higher uptake,’ he said.
 
‘We’re really, really hopeful that this will get lots of young mums and dads bringing their little bubs to their GP clinics or their pharmacy or wherever they get their vaccines and health advice.’
 
The revelations of subsidised vaccines follow similar announcements in other states, including South Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland.
 
The state-based funding in each jurisdiction is designed to work alongside an expected Commonwealth-funded maternal vaccine program, which is currently being considered by the Federal Government following a recommendation by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.
 
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immunisation respiratory syncytial virus RSV