{"id":105225,"date":"2025-08-08T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/?p=105225"},"modified":"2025-08-07T23:35:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T13:35:07","slug":"rsv-vaccine-push-calls-to-make-300-jab-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/rsv-vaccine-push-calls-to-make-300-jab-free\/","title":{"rendered":"RSV Vaccine Push: Calls Grow to Make $300 Jab Free for Vulnerable Australians"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Health experts are urging the federal government to make the $300 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine<\/strong> free for thousands of vulnerable Australians. The call comes as the country records nearly 120,000 RSV cases<\/strong> this year, with older adults and people with pre-existing conditions most at risk of serious illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advocates argue that the high cost of the vaccine is preventing access for those who need it most. They believe that funding the jab through the National Immunisation Program<\/strong><\/a> could significantly reduce hospital admissions and protect vulnerable groups, according to the Lung Foundation Australia<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

High Infection Rates Raise Public Health Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

RSV, a highly contagious respiratory virus<\/a>, can cause severe symptoms and complications in older adults, leading to hospitalisation and, in some cases, death. According to Professor <\/strong>Paul Griffin<\/strong><\/a>, director of infectious diseases at Mater Health Services<\/strong>, \u201cunfortunately a proportion of them don\u2019t survive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patients like Anne Fidler<\/strong>, who contracted the virus from her granddaughter, highlight the dangers. Fidler, who has a pre-existing lung condition, experienced worsening symptoms including wheezing and difficulty breathing. \u201cTrying to get breath into my lungs, which was the hard part, that I thought this is not normal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, RSV vaccination is free only for pregnant women to protect newborns, while all other at-risk groups must pay about $300 for immunisation. Health organisations warn that this cost is a barrier for many Australians who could otherwise be shielded from the virus\u2019s most severe effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calls for Government Funding Intensify<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Lung Foundation<\/strong> has joined other health advocates in urging the federal government to add RSV vaccination to the National Immunisation Program for those at clinical risk. Mark Brooke<\/strong><\/a>, the foundation\u2019s CEO, said: \u201cWe encourage the Australian government to add the RSV vaccination to the national immunisation program for those that it is clinically recommended.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are currently three approved RSV vaccines for Australians aged 60 and over. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (<\/strong>PBAC<\/strong><\/a>)<\/strong> has already recommended funding Pfizer\u2019s vaccine<\/strong> for people 75 and older, as well as eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults. However, it has not yet been listed due to concerns about cost-effectiveness. Pfizer confirmed it is working with the Department of Health, while GlaxoSmithKline<\/strong> and Moderna<\/strong> have also submitted funding applications to PBAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, vulnerable Australians are being advised to adopt protective measures such as mask-wearing and avoiding contact with sick family members. These steps, according to Brooke, \u201cgo a long way to keeping you safe,\u201d while the debate over public funding for RSV vaccines continues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As rsv infections climb across australia, experts warn the $300 vaccine remains out of reach for many who need it most. Health organisations are pressing the government to step in and fund the jab. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":105227,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105225"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105225\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105228,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105225\/revisions\/105228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}