One year on: hundreds of thousands of babies protected against RSV thanks to prevention product funding

Monthly uptake of the maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine Abrysvo has remained high throughout the first year of National Immunisation Program (NIP) funding for pregnant women, new NCIRS data show. 

Using Australian Immunisation Register data, NCIRS researchers found more than 187,000 pregnant women across Australia were vaccinated with Abrysvo between 1 February 2025 and 31 January 2026, the first full year since the vaccine was added to the NIP.

Before receiving NIP funding, Abrysvo was only available for purchase on the private market, and around 7,000 pregnant women aged 15–54 years received the vaccine over the 10-month period from 1 April 2024 to 31 January 2025.

After NIP funding began, an immediate marked increase in the number of pregnant women vaccinated with Abrysvo was seen – with around 14,000 to 17,000 vaccinated each month – highlighting the considerable impact of the program.

Australia’s RSV prevention strategy – also known as the RSV Mother and Infant Protection Program (RSV-MIPP) – offers free Abrysvo vaccination during pregnancy under the NIP, with states and territories funding the monoclonal antibody nirsevimab (Beyfortus) for eligible infants in 2025. 

During 2025, just under 55,000 children nationally received nirsevimab before the age of 2 years under the RSV-MIPP, with a further 1,059 receiving it in the first month of 2026.

While research is ongoing, it is anticipated that the program will lead to substantial reductions in RSV-related hospitalisations in Australia. Similar trends have already been observed internationally in countries with longer-standing RSV prevention programs – particularly in infants from birth to 6 months of age, who have historically been at the highest risk.

Explore NCIRS RSV immunisation uptake data