RSV vaccine programme to be rolled out for newborns to prevent winter spike

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will on Tuesday seek Cabinet approval for the vaccination programme.

Last year, cases of RSV surged over the winter period. This led to the HSE to advise parents to cocoon babies to help limit its spread.

There were 1,397 RSV hospitalisations in infants under one year of age last year, with more than 1,000 of these under the age of six months.

Over the winter period, there were 118 paediatric intensive care unit admissions in infants under one year of age attributed to RSV. 

Adult intensive care unit (ICU) beds had to be placed on standby for paediatric patients due to the high numbers being admitted to hospitals

Mr Donnelly has drawn up plans for a vaccine programme to start for newborns in September, following advice from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee that vaccines are safe and effective.

The vaccine would be effective for up to five months — the average length of an RSV season, and protection is immediate once administered.

Up to 453 fewer babies will be hospitalised, and it is expected that 48 ICU admissions will be avoided if there is a 50% take-up rate of the vaccine over the autumn and winter.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee noted that preliminary data from a clinical trial conducted in Europe during winter 2022 and 2023, involving over 8,000 infants, reported an 83% reduction in RSV-related hospitalisations in infants.

The committee has also advised that analysis of cost-effectiveness and programmatic considerations are required to determine the most appropriate permanent RSV immunisation strategy.

As a result, Hiqa has been asked to carry out a rapid assessment of immunisation against RSV in Ireland followed by a full health technology assessment, which will include infants and older adults.

It is hoped that the spike seen last year will be avoided.

When cases spiked last December, a total of 368 people were hospitalised in just one week due to RSV, with 985 new cases identified, according to the Health Surveillance Protection Centre.

The majority of new cases that week were among children aged under 14, accounting for 786 of the total. The next most affected were those aged over 65, at 101 new cases.