NSW Health RSV Vulnerable Babies program

RSV is a common respiratory virus that can infect people of all ages and usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious. Infants and older adults are more likely to develop severe RSV and need hospitalisation. 

RSV is recognised as one of the most common causes of childhood illness and is the most common cause of hospitalisation in infants. RSV can cause a range of respiratory illness from a mild cold to severe conditions such as bronchiolitis in infants and pneumonia. RSV is spread through droplets from an infected person’s cough or sneeze. 

BeyfortusTM (nirsevimab) is a new RSV monocolonal antibody (mAB) that was approved by the TGA in November 2023 for use in neonates and infants in Australia.  

The NSW RSV Vulnerable Babies Program offers this RSV mAB from March 2024 to September 2024 to infants who are at high-risk of RSV lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI).

The program is available in a phased approach during the 2024 RSV season.  

The targeted cohorts in each phase are as follows: 

Phase 1 (commenced 25 March 2024)

Infants meeting eligibility criteria currently in public hospitals (administered at discharge). 

Phase 2

Infants meeting eligibility criteria in the remainder of the cohorts. 

What does this mean for GPs?

From now on you should:

Identify vulnerable infants

Infants in the following risk categories will be eligible for BeyfortusTM (nirsevimab) prior to October 2024:

  • All premature infants (<37 weeks gestation at birth) born after 31 October 2023

  • All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants born after 31 October 2023

  • Other vulnerable infants including:

    • Chronic neonatal lung disease (neonates requiring home oxygen/other respiratory support ≥ 36 weeks corrected age, <12months of age

    • Infants with haemodynamically significant congenital heart disease, <24 months of age

    • Other**:

      • Combined Immunodeficiency <24 months of age AND not yet received curative treatment

      • Trisomy 21, <12 months of age

      • Other paediatric chronic and complex conditions that significantly impair respiratory function, <12 months of age

  • Children with 28 days before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) or prior to engraftment after HSCT, <24 months of age

** at clinician’s judgement in consultation with specialist paediatric infectious diseases physician, specialist in paediatric immunisation, or designated BeyfortusTM (nirsevimab) program lead at a NSW Health facility.  

If you identify an eligible baby in your practice that has not already been vaccinated with Beyfortus (nirsevimab) please complete this referral form and send through to sandra.forde@health.nsw.gov.au

The supply of Beyfortus (nursevimab) has been exhausted in the NSW vaccine centre, so you will NOT be able to order it with your regular vaccines. Vaccines will need to be distributed from NSW health Central pharmacies across the MLHD. 

Learn more
Margot Schoonmaker