Pregnant women and some babies, not all, will have access to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation in South Australia next year.
But the state opposition has called for broader access to the scheme, given the growing rates of children being admitted to hospital with infection.
RSV is a common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia among babies under 1 year of age.
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There have been 7849 infections in SA this year, more than 1000 RSV cases higher than at the same time last year.
Of the 48 patients in hospital with RSV last week, 32 were children, SA Health reported.
From next year, the government will use a combination of a newly approved maternal RSV vaccine and RSV antibodies for babies whose mothers were not immunised during pregnancy, SA’s chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said.
The monoclonal antibody will also be recommended for babies with existing health conditions.
The state government could only secure 300 doses of the antibody this year because of a supply issue and 180 doses have been used.
The remaining doses will be given to premature babies in neonatal intensive care units following a meeting with health executives on Friday.
SA rules out a population-wide RSV program
Opposition leader David Speirs said SA should look to programs in Western Australia and Queensland where all newborns are immunised, arguing it could reduce strain on the state’s hospital system next year.
But Spurrier said immunising all babies against RSV is not part of the National Immunisation Program guidelines and believes SA’s combined approach will reduce the chance shortfalls due to supply issues.
“The children most at risk are those born prematurely, they have a much less mature immune system, they haven’t had the benefit of getting antibodies across from them their mother,” Spurrier said.
Adelaide mother Sara* is a parent who wishes more full-term babies were eligible for RSV immunisation.
Her eight-week-old baby George was hospitalised last month, initially with RSV that then turned into pneumonia.
“As soon as we saw the triage nurse, they didn’t even let us sit down, they took us straight into emergency, and they had him under observation,” Sara said.
When George’s condition deteriorated further doctors put him on oxygen.
“He has all of these tubes coming out of him from every direction,” Sara said.
“It was terrifying. We only just had him and suddenly I’m sitting at his bedside thinking how did this happen and terrified we might lose him.”
Sara said her child “couldn’t breathe without moving his shoulders up and down”.
“It took his whole body to get a breath in and out,” she said.
South Australia’s health system remains under immense pressure, with patients having spent a record 5,539 hours ramped in ambulances last month.
Speirs said the government needed to ensure RSV vaccines were ordered early to avoid supply issues.
“We believe there should be an immunisation program for vulnerable South Australians and particularly newborn infants who can be really significantly compromised,” Speirs said.
“We’re saying to the government: ‘Come on, get your act in order on this. Put in the order now for the immunisations for RSV, it often has to come internationally, and make sure that is set up for 2025.’”
Spurrier said the government has been in ongoing conversations with the vaccine supplier, Sanofi, but did not confirm an order had been placed for 2025.
*last name withheld for privacy.
