Maternal RSV vaccination showed 77.8% effectiveness against infant RSV hospitalization in an Australian study.
The observational study covered 1,012 hospitalized infants across nine hospitals during Australia's first year of maternal RSVpreF use.
Researchers analyzed 1,012 infants aged six months or younger who were hospitalized with acute respiratory illness at nine Australian hospitals between March 2025 and February 2026. They estimated maternal RSVpreF vaccination was 77.8% effective against hospitalization for RSV lower-respiratory tract disease.
WHAT HAPPENED
Among 655 infants with lower-respiratory tract disease in the primary analysis, 114 of 386 RSV-positive infants and 171 of 269 RSV-negative controls had mothers who received RSVpreF at least 14 days before delivery. Adjusted effectiveness was 77.8% through six months, 80.2% through three months and 86.3% through two months. The authors also reported an 80.4% estimate against severe RSV lower-respiratory hospitalization. These are observational estimates, not guarantees for an individual infant.
WHY THIS IS HOPESLOP
A vaccine given before birth turned into measurable protection during the months when babies are most vulnerable to RSV. The hopeful part is not a perfect shield; it is a real-world signal, across nine hospitals, that prevention can keep many of the smallest patients out of a hospital bed.
ORIGINAL SOURCEJAMA Pediatrics / PubMedRead the original report
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