A nationwide vaccine program to protect infants against a potentially deadly virus is delivering remarkable outcomes. Hospitalisations for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among babies have nearly halved since pregnant women began receiving the free jab.
Remarkable Impact on Infant Health
Nine-month-old baby Hugo is all smiles. He has never had RSV and likely never will, thanks to protection that began before birth. His mother, Katryna Cygler, received the free RSV immunisation at 28 weeks of pregnancy.
"It gave me great peace of mind, especially as a first-time mum. I could give Hugo the best chance at a healthy start to life," Cygler said.
The respiratory virus attacks the lungs and can be life-threatening for the very young. There is no cure.
"Before the immunisation was introduced, we would see one in 50 babies being hospitalised," said Dr Ushma Wadia from the Kids Research Institute Australia.
Study Shows 80% Protection Rate
The free jab for pregnant women was introduced last year and has almost halved admissions for babies aged less than three months across 13 Australian hospitals.
"Our study showed that 80 per cent of babies that were born to mothers who had received the immunisation did not come into hospital," Wadia revealed.
A national RSV immunisation program is also available for newborns who were not protected during pregnancy.
RSV is the leading cause of hospitalisation in babies aged up to a year, with around 12,000 admitted every year.
Critical Winter Period Ahead
With cold weather starting to settle in, experts say the coming weeks will be critical.
"We are not having those bad blocks because of children coming with RSV and then that frees up beds for people that really need them," Wadia said.
One jab, double the protection.
