THIS Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Awareness Week, GPs are urging federal, state, and territory governments to make the RSV vaccination free for at-risk groups and protect society's most vulnerable.
Australia has passed 60,000 RSV cases this year so far, with more than half of reported cases occurring in babies and children aged under four and almost 20% among over 60s.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) President Dr Michael Wright said: "RSV hits our communities hard every year, with serious and sometimes life-threatening consequences for babies, young children, older people, and people with chronic health conditions."
Dr Wright noted that the Federal Government provides free vaccines for pregnant women to protect them and their babies, with state and territory governments funding immunisation for babies who do not already have protection from the mother's vaccination.
However, free RSV vaccines for other at-risk groups are not funded nationally and programs vary from state to state.
"What we really need to see now is all vaccines recommended in the Australian Immunisation Handbook to be freely available for every at-risk group," Dr Wright said.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 04 Jun 25
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 04 Jun 25
