Baby Marlie was two-weeks-old when she was hospitalised with RSV. Photo: IFA.
Canberra parents Sarah and Chris Fogarty wanted to do everything they could to protect their six-month-old daughter, Zoe (not pictured), from RSV.
The respiratory virus is the number one cause of hospitalisation for children under the age of five, with up to one-in-four of those hospitalised requiring intensive care.
Babies under the age of six months are most likely to develop severe symptoms, including serious lung infections such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis.
There is a Federally-subsidised vaccine, Abrysvo, for pregnant women (which in turn protects their babies) but it wasn’t available when Sarah was pregnant.
When Zoe was born in November, Sarah again asked the hospital about options but was told she wasn’t eligible.
“Our concern was she was going into early childcare at five months … we know she’s going to get sick but we just wanted her to be as protected as possible,” Sarah said.
In the last week of May, Zoe contracted RSV.
Sarah said they were “quite lucky” they didn’t have to go to hospital.
“Our doctor told us to take shifts to watch her breathing, to make sure she was okay,” she said.
“We had a couple of rough nights.”
Infant RSV immunisation catch-up eligibility by state/territory for winter 2025. Photo: IFA.
There is a catch-up program in the ACT and NSW for infants born on or after 1 January 2025 (previously 17 March) using the monoclonal antibody nirsevimab (also known as Beyfortus), a preventative immune booster or treatment for those whose mother didn’t receive the vaccine. It’s offered through maternity services, including at hospital before babies go home.
It is also available for children born between 1 October 2024 and 1 January 2025, but only if they meet strict criteria.
This includes being born before 37 weeks, being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage, or if they have a diagnosed condition that puts them at risk of severe disease.
Beyfortus is also available for children up to two years of age entering their second RSV season if they were born before 32 weeks, or have a condition that puts them at particularly high risk of severe disease, including cystic fibrosis, Down Syndrome or congenital heart disease.
If you don’t fall into these categories, you aren’t eligible for the vaccine or antibody, regardless of whether you pay or if it’s subsidised.
The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) and Immunisation Foundation of Australia (IFA) have called on federal, state and territory governments to make the RSV vaccination free for all at-risk groups recommended to receive the jab in the Australian Immunisation Handbook.
This includes for all people older than 75 years, anyone over the age of 60 who is Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander or has medical risk factors for severe RSV disease (such as diabetes, lung disease and heart disease).
RACGP president Dr Michael Wright said it was “quite complex” for people to know if they qualified for a vaccine or treatment.
“These treatments are still quite new … because there’s been a number of changes to the eligibility for the vaccine, it’s also sometimes unclear what’s recommended, who’s eligible and then what’s subsidised by the government,” he said.
“Making that consistent would make it much easier for all of us.”
Canberra doctor Emily Rushton described the current situation as “an absolute mess”.
She was particularly concerned that RSV preventions weren’t subsidised for older people, who were having to fork out between $300 and $350 to protect themselves.
“The only patients I’m seeing to get the vaccination are those who have the disposable income to pay for it,” she said.
“[So the handbook] recommends a very expensive vaccine for a high-risk group, but there’s no funding for it.”
Dr Rushton was also worried about young children whose mothers would not have been vaccinated against RSV during pregnancy but who aren’t eligible to access the monoclonal treatment.
“Ideally, as more pregnant women are vaccinated, the coverage of children [protected] will improve … but some kids are falling through the gaps,” she said.
“If a child has missed out or there’s an adult at high risk [of contracting the disease], we should be intervening if we can.”
She encouraged anyone confused about whether they were eligible for a vaccine or monoclonal antibody to discuss their options with their GP.
It’s a message echoed by IFA founder Catherine Hughes.
“We’re hearing that some parents are unsure whether their baby is eligible for free RSV immunisation, or worse, that babies have been hospitalised after missing out on protection,” she said.
“It’s only the start of winter and we know that with strong uptake of RSV immunisations [by those eligible] we can prevent up to 10,000 hospitalisations each year.”
An ACT Health spokesperson said the government would review the 2025 RSV prevention program to inform future decisions.
“Evaluations of RSV programs are occurring both locally and nationally,” they said.
