RSV immunisation programme extended following successful roll out

As the 2025 winter vaccinations get well under way, the HSE is building on last year’s successful respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation programme, which was delivered to newborn babies in maternity settings and high-risk babies in the community. The programme significantly reduced infections, serious illness, and hospitalisations.

A total of 83 per cent of those offered immunisation accepted it for their babies, amounting to 22,500 infants. Among those immunised (compared to similar babies the previous year who were not immunised), there was a significant decrease in the impact of RSV including:

• 65 per cent reduction in total number of cases
• 57 per cent reduction in cases presenting to emergency departments
• 76 per cent reduction in babies requiring hospitalisation
• 65 per cent reduction in babies needing intensive care due to complications of RSV.

This winter season, the HSE will once again offer RSV immunisation in maternity settings to all babies born in Ireland from 1 September 2025 to 28 February, 2026, as well as extending the programme to all babies in Ireland born in the six-month period from 1 March 2025 to 31 August 2025 across various community sites.

Commenting on the success of the programme, HSE National Director for Health Protection, Dr Éamonn O’Moore said: “Before the introduction of the programme, each winter, four out of every 100 infants were hospitalised due to RSV, with some infants needing special treatment in intensive care units. A further 50 out of every 100 infants got RSV and many needed medical care from their GP or the emergency department of a children’s hospital.

“The immunisation – called nirsevimab – is strongly recommended by the HSE and the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) and has been approved by the European Medicines Agency. Nirsevimab starts working as soon as the baby receives the injection and protects against RSV for 150 days, covering the very early period in a baby’s life when they are most vulnerable to serious RSV-related illness.

Dr O’Moore concluded by saying: “As well as protecting young babies against serious illness, the RSV immunisation programme will help safeguard vital hospital paediatric services during the very busy winter months by limiting preventable admissions caused by RSV-related illness.”

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