An urgent warning has been issued after tens of thousands of Australian babies have been infected with respiratory syncytial virus.
So far, more than 47,000 cases of RSV have been recorded in children under five in 2024, and doctors predict an even greater increase during the winter months.
As the Immunization Foundation of Australia began its RSV Awareness Week on Sunday, doctors are warning infection rates could get even worse over the winter.
“There are certainly higher rates right now for this time of year than we’ve seen in previous years,” said Telethon Kids Institute Director of Infectious Diseases Hannah Moore. news.com.au.
RSV is a highly contagious respiratory virus that infects the airways and lungs and spreads through coughs and sneezes.
More than 47,000 cases of RSV have been recorded so far in children under five years old, and doctors predict an even greater increase during the winter months.
RSV is a highly contagious respiratory virus that infects the airways and lungs and spreads through coughs and sneezes.
It is particularly harmful to babies as well as the elderly.
So far this year, 70 percent of RSV cases have been in children under the age of five, and more than 13,000 cases have been recorded in people aged 60 or older.
Moore said most children infected with RSV end up with a relatively mild case of infection, but for others it can be much more serious and, in rare cases, fatal.
“RSV primarily affects young children and infants, actually children under six months of age, who are most at risk for serious illness,” he said.
Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales have implemented childhood RSV vaccination programs this year, but the other states and territories do not currently have access to the vaccine.
This year, 70 percent of RSV cases have been in children under five years old
Those at increased risk of severe RSV infection include premature babies, Aboriginal people, and those with weakened immune systems or neurological conditions.
According to the Immunization Foundation of Australia, vaccination of children against RSV nationally would prevent 10,000 hospital admissions a year.
Dr Lisa McHugh, a perinatal and infectious diseases epidemiologist at the University of Queensland, said the number of active infections is expected to increase as temperatures drop.
“At the beginning of winter, we have already recorded almost two-thirds of the total number of RSV cases reported in 2023. This is well ahead of the normal curve,” he said. medianet.
‘Without immunization, we know that around 12,000 Australian babies are hospitalized with pneumonia and bronchiolitis caused by RSV each year, and one in four require intensive care.
“It’s wonderful that for the first time we can protect babies and the elderly from RSV, but it is not sustainable to have childhood immunization programs in some states and not others, nor to ask older Australians to pay hundreds of dollars each year for vaccination. RSV protection”, ‘
Ms Hughes will meet infectious disease experts in Federal Parliament on Tuesday 4 June to brief MPs on the latest research into RSV.