RSV-Prophylaxis: First Vaccine Doses Will Be Delivered Next Week

As the Ministry of Health announced on Friday, 14,000 doses of the RSV prophylaxis are expected to arrive early next week, as stated by the manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis, to the ministry. With the first delivery, all newborns born during the winter season will be vaccinated free of charge.

RSV Prophylaxis: Further Deliveries Expected Next Year

According to the ministry, the immunization will initially be available free of charge in all hospitals. The babies will receive a single injection in the thigh there. The distribution of the medication is organized by the federal states. Further deliveries of the prophylaxis are planned for the beginning of next year. "Anyone who has seen a child with severe shortness of breath knows how important effective protection against RSV is," said Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Green).

Hundreds of Hospital Admissions Can Be Avoided with RSV Prophylaxis

The first infection with RSV usually occurs within the first two years of life. Typical symptoms are coughing, fever, or a middle ear infection. In infants, the virus is one of the main causes of acute bronchiolitis, which often has to be treated in the hospital. Through immunization, hundreds of hospital admissions can be avoided each year in Austria, as the ministry has already stated in the past. Almost no child escapes an RSV infection. According to estimates, around 54,600 children in Austria fall ill with it each year. Each year, about 1,100 children in Austria have to be treated in the hospital for this reason. The youngest are particularly affected. About half of the hospitalized children are less than three months old. About a quarter are younger than half a year. There also seems to be a connection to asthma.

RSV Prophylaxis: Vaccination Possible from Mid-December

For newborns, passive immunization should be possible from mid-December at the latest. It usually takes place in the first week of life directly in the hospital, if the parents wish. Immunization is recommended for children up to the first year of life or during the first RSV season. The vaccination demonstrably protects against a severe course of the disease. In a next step, the ministry wants to extend the offer to other age groups up to the first year of life. "By including it in the free children's vaccination program, we can prevent hundreds of hospital admissions in the future," said Rauch. The costs of the prophylaxis will be covered as part of the free children's vaccination program. An agreement was reached on this in August between the federal government, states, and social insurance. The delivery to the hospitals will take place within a few working days, the ministry promised.

(APA/Red)

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