Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will propose a vaccination program for infants targeting RSV this autumn and winter. The plan aims to offer vaccines to up to 28,000 babies born between September 2024 and February 2025.
Parents will be encouraged to vaccinate their newborns before leaving the hospital. The vaccine provides protection for up to five months, covering the typical RSV season. Once administered, the vaccine offers immediate protection.
Last year, 1,397 infants under one year old were hospitalized due to RSV, with 1,017 of these cases involving babies under six months old. During the winter of 2023/2024, 118 infants under one year required admission to paediatric intensive care units (ICUs) due to RSV. The high number of admissions led to adult ICU beds being reserved for paediatric patients.
Minister Donnelly’s proposal follows advice from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), which confirmed the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. NIAC highlighted preliminary data from a European clinical trial conducted in winter 2022/23, which involved over 8,000 infants and showed an 83% reduction in RSV-related hospitalizations.
Minister Donnelly has been informed that, based on this evidence, vaccinating Irish infants could prevent up to 453 hospitalizations and 48 ICU admissions if 50% of newborns are vaccinated this autumn and winter.
