From next Monday, 17 March, free immunisation from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) will be available to all eligible newborn babies.
It will mean all newborn babies in Electorate of Cessnock can be protected against serious illness from this virus, with an estimated 1,150 babies under six months of age avoiding hospitalisation for RSV in NSW each year.
Women who are pregnant can currently receive free vaccination for RSV which passes protection to their babies for the first five months of life.
Nirsevimab will be given to eligible newborns before hospital discharge.
For infants at birth who are not protected by maternal RSV vaccination, the Minns Labor Government is offering free RSV immunisation.
The Minns Labor Government will also offer protection for babies who are high risk of serious RSV disease, even if their birth mother has been vaccinated.
And the Minns Labor Government will also offer children up to 24 months of age the free immunisation with certain medical conditions.
Maternal vaccination for RSV is recommended for women between 28 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.
It is provided through the National Immunisation Program.
With the combined coverage of free maternal vaccination and free infant immunisation, all newborn babies in NSW can be protected.
RSV is a common cause of respiratory illness infecting up to 90 per cent of children within the first two years of life.
It can affect anyone, but the infection is more severe in children under one year of age, who may develop bronchiolitis or pneumonia requiring hospitalisation.
In NSW between 2016 and 2023, there were more than 52,000 hospitalisations with an RSV diagnosis, of which approximately 41 per cent were in children aged less than 1 year.
Further information on how to protect yourself and others from RSV can be found on the NSW Health website here.
State Member for the Electorate of Cessnock, Clayton Barr said:
“RSV can be very serious, and I know how stressful and anxiety-inducing such a condition can be for parents.”
“This announcement ensures all newborns can access protection from RSV for free and doubles the options for protection, either through maternal vaccination or infant immunisation.”