Australia has made the RSV vaccine Abrysvo free during pregnancy to protect babies from the virus, which is the top reason children under five are hospitalized. The vaccine, normally costing $300, is now accessible to all Australian babies thanks to a $174.5 million government investment. The vaccine is administered during pregnancy, and antibodies are passed to the baby through the placenta. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies are particularly vulnerable to severe RSV, being hospitalized at twice the rate of other babies.
A vaccine designed to help protect babies from the respiratory syncytial virus is now free during pregnancy. RSV is the top reason children younger than age five are admitted to hospital in Australia . While symptoms often start mild, it can develop into other severe conditions such as bronchiolitis. The new maternal vaccine, Abrysvo which is administered during pregnancy, normally costs $300 — but a $174.
NSW Health said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies are particularly susceptible and “can get very sick from RSV” and are hospitalised with the illness at twice the rate of other babies. The vaccine reduces the risk of severe RSV disease in infants younger than six-months-old by about 70 per cent, the Health Department said. Two out of every 100 babies born in Australia end up in hospital before they are six months old, according to a study in the Medical Journal of Australia.
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