Canberra, November 10 (IANS). The Australian government will run a free vaccination campaign to protect newborns and pregnant women against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) from 2025.
This vaccination will provide greater protection to pregnant women and infants against respiratory syncytial virus.
The federal government will spend $174 million to give pregnant women a free vaccine against RSV before next winter. Along with this, its benefits will also be extended to newborns and small children.
According to the government, about 12 thousand children suffering from severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are admitted to hospital every year.
Regarding this campaign, Health Minister Mark Butler said in a statement that this vaccination scheme will prevent the hospitalization of about 10,000 children every year.
He added, “We have recorded nearly 160,000 cases of RSV this winter, half of them in children under four years of age. This virus actually affects children under the age of two years.
We believe this vaccination program will reduce the rate of hospitalization of children by 90 percent.
Let us tell you that RSV is a respiratory virus that affects the nose, throat and lungs, in which infants are most at risk.
Butler said that if pregnant women are vaccinated, the risk to babies is reduced.
He added, “Our joint approach will work in partnership with every state and territory to ensure every baby in Australia is vaccinated before winter.”
Under the new program, pregnant women between 28 and 36 weeks will be eligible to get a free vaccine from February, which will protect their unborn baby.
Additionally, all children under two years of age whose mothers were not vaccinated during pregnancy will also be eligible for this vaccination.
More than 165,000 cases of RSV have been recorded in Australia so far in 2024, according to data from the Department of Health’s National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System. Which is much more than in previous years.
–IANS
MKS/KR