Pregnant mothers and babies will be offered free RSV vaccine to prevent serious disease before winter 2025

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

The Government of Albania 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 Programme.

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

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

Most children catch RSV before the age of two, but Health Minister Mark Butler said 12,000 babies were hospitalized with severe cases of the virus each winter.

Baby boy connected to tubes in hospital bed — Spencer Boyd was hospitalized for nine days after contracting RSV. (Louise Boyd )

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

“This investment will help keep approximately 10,000 babies out of hospitals.”

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

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

Respiratory nurse Louise Boyd said her son developed cold-like symptoms, which quickly worsened into respiratory distress.

Baby Spencer spent nine days on high-flow oxygen and a feeding tube at Adelaide’s Lyell McEwin Hospital.

Baby boy lying on bed in the back of the ambulance — Baby Spence became unresponsive in the car on the way to the hospital, forcing his family to call an ambulance. (Louise Boyd)

“It’s absolutely awful to see your baby struggling to breathe, surrounded by machines,” Ms Boyd said.

“Access to the RSV vaccine will provide families with peace of mind.”

The federal government said in September it would try to reach an agreement with Pfizer, the drug’s sponsor, and include the vaccine in the national vaccination program.

Australian Immunization Foundation director Catherine Hughes AM said the “federal government was listening and taking action” following extensive campaigning by the trust and health organisations.

He said Western Australia was the first state to introduce its own RSV vaccination program for all babies, leading to an 84 per cent drop in hospitalisations.

Ms Hughes said similar results were seen in Queensland, which launched a statewide infant RSV vaccination program in April.