Local mum, Rose Marie, gets her RSV vaccination at the antenatal clinic by midwife Cassandra.

Pregnant women in Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District can now receive a free Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine at their 28 week antenatal visit to help protect their newborn.

RSV can cause serious illness in newborns, often leading to hospitalisation. The free vaccine is one of the most effective ways to safeguard baby’s health and can be given from 28 weeks of pregnancy along with the whooping cough (pertussis) and influenza vaccine.

“RSV is the most common cause for hospitalisation of children under 12 months in Australia. By getting a vaccine in pregnancy, it protects your baby from multiple diseases, such as whooping cough and now RSV,” says Dr Archana Koirala, Paediatric Infectious Diseases Clinician, Nepean Hospital.

Women who are pregnant and have the RSV vaccination, pass antibodies to their baby through the placenta. This protects their baby from RSV and the baby stays protected from birth until at least 6 months of age.

As part of convenient and comprehensive care, expectant mothers can ask for an RSV vaccination at their antenatal appointments. It is recommended and free under the National Immunisation Program (NIP).

“The antenatal clinic is the best opportunity for pregnant women to be assessed and receive their vaccines. Getting the jab in the clinic saves time and effort,” says Samantha Moss, Nurse Unit Manager, Women & Children’s Health Outpatient Department, Nepean Hospital.

Local mother, Rose Marie shares her experience with RSV and why she has received the vaccine.

“Having a daughter in daycare who had RSV last winter, I wanted to have the vaccine to reduce the risk of our next baby contracting the virus especially knowing how prevalent RSV and whooping cough are among babies and toddlers at the moment particularly going into winter,” says Rose Marie.

RSV vaccination will be discussed and offered to all women at their 28 week antenatal appointment.

From 17 March 2025, RSV immunisation will also be recommended at birth for babies whose mothers did not get an RSV vaccination during pregnancy; who had the vaccination less than 2 weeks before giving birth; or to a mother who has a very weak immune system. Some children also need another RSV immunisation in their second year of life if they have a medical condition that makes them more likely to get very sick from RSV.

For more information, talk to your midwife or visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Factsheets/rsv.pdf