A preventive medicine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for newborns will be available in Austria before Christmas. This means that all babies can be vaccinated for free in the first week of life, the Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday.
The first delivery of Nirsevimab is expected to arrive in the coming weeks, with more planned for early 2025. The immunization is to be delivered via a single injection in the thigh, mainly through hospitals. “My goal was to be able to offer RSV immunization this winter season (…). This will allow us to provide children with effective protection, which will be particularly important in the coming months,” Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) said in a press release.
Main cause of bronchiolitis
In addition, the prophylaxis Synagis (palivizumab) is used. In the future, immunization should be applied to all children up to the age of one year. Children who become infected with RSV for the first time are usually younger than two years old. The virus is a leading cause of acute bronchiolitis in infants, which often requires hospital treatment. This is an acute, viral infection of the lower respiratory tract.
It is estimated that approximately 54,600 children in Austria contract RSV every year. 1,100 of them require hospital treatment, especially the youngest. About half of hospitalized children are younger than three months. There may also be a connection with asthma.
In August, the federal government, states and Social Security agreed to offer RSV prophylaxis in the free childhood vaccination program. However, there were different ideas about financing, which meant that it took months for the order from manufacturer Sanofi-Aventis to arrive.
Source: Krone
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