Call to Scrap $300 Vaccine Fee for Thousands of Aussies

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A leading health organisation is calling on the federal government to make the RSV vaccine free for thousands of vulnerable Aussies, as cases of the highly contagious virus continue to rise across the country.

So far this year, Australia has recorded nearly 120,000 cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) — and while it might sound like just another cold, experts say it can hit hard, especially in older adults.

“Unfortunately, a proportion of them don’t survive,” said Professor Paul Griffin, director of infectious diseases at Mater Hospital.

Anne Fidler, who caught RSV from her granddaughter, said the symptoms escalated quickly.

“I had headaches, wheezing in my chest, a bit of a runny nose,” she said. But with an existing lung condition, things went downhill fast.

“Trying to get breath into my lungs — that was the hard part. I knew something wasn’t right.”

Currently, pregnant women can get a free RSV vaccine, which protects their newborns. Babies can also receive an immunisation product if their mother didn’t get vaccinated during pregnancy.

But for everyone else? The vaccine comes with a $300 price tag.

And that’s the issue. The Lung Foundation and others are urging the government to add RSV vaccines to the National Immunisation Program — especially for vulnerable groups like older adults and people with chronic lung conditions.

“The vaccine works tremendously well,” said Griffin. “There are a lot of people who need protection but can’t afford it.”

Right now, three RSV vaccines are approved for people aged 60 and over in Australia. But before they can be listed under the free immunisation scheme, they need a green light from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC).

So far, the PBAC has recommended Pfizer’s vaccine for Aussies aged 75 and older, and for eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults — but it hasn’t been officially added to the program yet, due to cost-effectiveness concerns.

Pfizer says it’s actively working with the Department of Health. Meanwhile, GlaxoSmithKline and Moderna have also submitted their vaccines for public funding consideration.

Until then, older and at-risk Australians are being told to take extra precautions.

“Wearing a mask, staying away from sick family members — they’re simple things, but they go a long way,” said Lung Foundation CEO Mark Brooke.

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