Australia’s new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation program cut hospital admissions for Australia’s youngest babies by almost half in its first year, a new major national study has shown.
Launched in February 2025, the RSV Maternal and Infant Protection Program (RSV-MIPP) offered free maternal RSV vaccinations to pregnant women across the country under the National Immunisation Program.
Newborns who did not receive protection during pregnancy were eligible for the monoclonal antibody nirsevimab through state- and territory-funded programs.
Research has found RSV-associated hospitalisations fell by 43.8% in babies aged less than three months – the group at highest risk of severe RSV disease.
The research was conducted by The Kids Research Institute Australia, the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) and Monash University, in collaboration with 13 hospitals across Australia.
Lead researcher Dr Ushma Wadia, clinician-scientist at the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases, said the results showed both the maternal vaccination and immunisations for babies were highly effective in providing protection against RSV.
“These findings represent the first real-world evidence from the southern hemisphere demonstrating the effectiveness of a hybrid RSV prevention strategy at national scale,” Dr Wadia said.
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The results follow positive outcomes reported in WA last year as a result of the state’s RSV immunisation program which was found to have reduced hospitalisation rates across three hospitals by almost 90% and helped more than 500 families avoid a hospital stay.
Dr Wadia said newborns were particularly vulnerable to the life-threatening complications of RSV such as severe bronchiolitis and pneumonia, so it was especially pleasing to see a 44% reduction in hospitalisations in babies up to three months of age.
“We also found that babies born between October 2024 and mid-February 2025 who received nirsevimab as part of a catch-up cohort received strong protection against the virus, with 87% lower risk of admission with RSV,” she said.
The immunisation program is the result of more than two decades of research, modelling and collaborative efforts by researchers dedicated to providing babies and young children with vital protection against RSV.
NCIRS associate director and paediatrician, Professor Nick Wood said RSV was a leading cause of hospitalisation in young infants in Australia with limited treatment options once infected, placing significant pressure on families and hospitals each respiratory season.
“Prior to the implementation of the RSV prevention program, about one in 50 children required hospitalisation for RSV in their first year of life, with almost all infants infected by age three,” Professor Wood said.
“Seeing fewer very young babies admitted to hospital with RSV thanks to the new prevention products is a significant step forward in protecting babies from this nasty infection and helps ensure paediatric hospital beds and resources are available for those who need them most.”
Surveillance through Paediatric Active Enhanced Disease Surveillance network and Influenza Complications Alert Network is ongoing and will inform future research to better understand how long protection from immunisation lasts and how the program performs over multiple RSV seasons.
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