New South Wales and Queensland have both announced respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programs to provide protection for infants and children.
In New South Wales, infants vulnerable to severe illness from RSV will be eligible to receive nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody (available in Australia under the brand name Beyfortus). This includes:
- babies born before 37 weeks gestation and adter 31 October 2023
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies born after 31 October 2023
- other infants living with specific chronic and complex health conditions.
Read more on the NSW Health website.
The Queensland program will also provide nirsevimab (brand name, Beyfortus) to eligible infants and young children, including:
- all newborn infants from birth
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants up to < 8 months of age
- infants with certain complex medical conditions up to < 8 months of age
- young children with certain complex medical conditions from 8–19 months of age (until 31 October 2024).
For more details, read about the new program on the Queensland Health website.