Updates
Free RSV immunisation program available soon for eligible infants and young children
A free Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) immunisation program will be available next month (1 May 2024) for eligible infacts and young children.
RSV is a common, highly infectious virus that can lead to bronchiolitis and pneumonia, and may trigger symptoms in chilren with asthma. It is the most common cause of infacts and young children being admitted to hospital, with almost all children catching RSV at least once before they turn 2.
While RSV can infect people of all ages, infacts and young children are most at risk of contracting the disease and developing serious illness.
Eligible infacts and young children include:
- all newborn babies (at birth)
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants less than 8 months of age
- infants who have complex medical conditions less than 8 months of age, and
- infants and young children 8 to 19 months with complex medical conditions which place them at substantially increased risk of severe RSV disease (complex medical conditions are subject to a pre-determined list of conditions).
For more information about the free RSV immunisation program, visit this website.