Last week, announced it would offer pregnant women a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) from next year for free. It's the first Australian state or territory to do so. RSV can be particularly serious for infants, so vaccination during pregnancy is designed to protect the baby.
The , called Abrysvo, was registered for use in pregnancy by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration . It's also approved for use in adults over 60, who are vulnerable to RSV as well. However, vaccination against RSV is not funded under the .
This means people who want a vaccine need to pay for it, unless it's offered by a state or territory program. So why is South Australia planning to offer pregnant women this vaccine? And if you're expecting a baby, is Abrysvo worth considering? What is RSV? RSV infects the lungs and the respiratory tract. It's extremely common, with most children infected by the .
In most people, the symptoms are mild, such as a , dry cough, sore throat, sneezing or headache. However, in babies under 12 months, and especially under six months, the symptoms can sometimes be severe, causing breathing difficulties requiring admission to hospital. This is because the infection can spread to the lungs, causing pneumonia.
RSV can also cause severe infection in and those with such as or a weakened immune system. There's no specific treatment against this virus once someone is infected. Antibiotics do not work against RSV infection, so prevention is key.
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