The Royal Australian College of GPs (RACGP) has called on the Victorian Government to follow the lead of other states and commit to rolling out an RSV immunisation program.
Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia have announced programs to vaccinate infants against RSV using Sanofi's BEYFORTUS.
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common respiratory infection that mostly affects young children, including babies. There were more than 128,000 cases reported last year Australia-wide, causing symptoms that ranged from mild to life-threatening.
The Department of Health and Aged Care’s disease surveillance tool shows that cases in Victoria have increased from 3,400 in the first quarter of 2024 to 8,584 in the current second quarter, surpassing Queensland in May.
RACGP Victoria Chair Dr Anita Muñoz said immunisations for vulnerable infants will save lives.
“This is an opportunity to prevent hospitalisation of babies and saves lives,” she said.
“Other states have taken action here, either making immunisations available to all new babies or through more targeted efforts.
“RSV is a serious disease that puts children in hospital every year. People may not realise the enormous health burden it places on children five and under in Australia. Not only is it likely the number one cause of hospitalisation among young children, up to a quarter of them need intensive care treatment. That’s an absolute nightmare for a young family to go through.
“With an immunisation program to match the one in Western Australia, we can keep children out of hospital beds, save families from a terrible experience, and be proactive about public health to relieve pressure on our health system, including our already under-pressure hospitals.”
