RSV immunisation programme for young children would cost €19m, new figures show

Hiqa said its assessment would help to inform future Government policy on immunisation for RSA.

It would cost up to €19m to vaccinate Ireland’s infant population against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a disease which saw 2,500 children admitted to hospital in 2022.

An assessment by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) looked at the options around providing immunisations to both the young and older populations of Ireland given they are at particular risk from RSV.

While it would cost between €3.9m and €19m to offer it to children up to the age of four, the cost would be far greater for over-65s at €146m while for over-75s it would cost €76.2m.

Hiqa said its assessment would help to inform future Government policy on immunisation for RSA.

RSV is a virus that infects the lungs and upper airways, and usually spreads every winter with its typical season running from October to March. It can result in severe infections in some people, requiring hospitalisation.

Those at increased risk include infants aged under one year, premature babies and children aged under two years with certain medical conditions. Adults aged 65 and older are also at an increased risk.

Last winter, doctors warned parents of the risks of RSV as cases peaked at nearly 1,000 a week, with particular concerns around the levels of RSV among young children in the community.

Hiqa said that in 2022, almost 4,000 children aged up to four tested positive for RSV, with almost 2,500 admitted to hospital. For adults, there were 1,500 cases in those aged over 65, with 150 admitted to hospital.

When it came to the costs of immunising children for RSV, Hiqa said this would be offset by the fact fewer infants would require hospital care.

But, it added: “As the number of older people who are hospitalised due to RSV is relatively small, the potential cost savings to the HSE from reducing hospital admissions is also small (between €0.9m and €1.2m).” 

A difficulty going forward, meanwhile, will be timing the roll out of an immunisation programme and clarifying the uncertainty about its potential to reduce the burden on the health service.

Hiqa said it carried out this assessment at the request of the Department of Health.

Its advice has been submitted to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and the HSE to inform an “interim policy decision on the most appropriate RSV immunisation strategy for infants and/or adults for the 2025/2026 season".

From here, Hiqa said it would conduct a larger assessment to provide advice to inform the longer-term policy decision on an RSV immunisation programme.