HSE urges Mayo parents to take up free RSV protection for babies

The HSE is encouraging parents of eligible babies across Mayo and the wider region to take up free immunisation against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) as the 2026–2027 programme gets underway.

RSV is a common and highly contagious virus that circulates during autumn and winter. While it usually causes mild respiratory illness, it can lead to serious infections in babies and young children, particularly during their first winter.

The free immunisation programme is being delivered through maternity hospitals and participating GP practices, with the route depending on when a baby was born.

Babies born between September 1, 2026, and February 28, 2027, will be offered immunisation in maternity hospitals before going home, where possible.

Babies born between March 1 and August 31, 2026, can receive the immunisation through participating GP practices. Babies at higher risk of serious RSV illness will be offered protection through a specialist pathway.

Dr Áine Mc Namara, Regional Director of Public Health with HSE West and North West, said the programme offered important protection during the months when RSV is most widely circulating.

“RSV is a common seasonal virus during autumn and winter, but it can be particularly serious for some young babies,” she said.

She encouraged parents to arrange immunisation as early as possible in the RSV season to help protect their babies throughout the winter.

Dr Mc Namara said the programme had made a significant difference over the past two years by reducing the number of babies who become seriously ill and require hospital treatment.

International evidence suggests that RSV immunisation is more than 80% effective in preventing RSV-associated lower respiratory tract infections.

The programme reduced RSV-related hospitalisations by 70 percent among babies born during the RSV season. Across both eligible groups, infant immunisation is estimated to have prevented more than 1,000 Emergency Department presentations, hospitalisations and intensive care admissions.

Dr Patrick Kelly of the Irish College of General Practitioners urged parents of babies born between March and August to arrange immunisation through participating GP practices, ideally before the RSV season.

He said the immunisation could be safely given alongside routine childhood vaccines, meaning parents did not need to delay their baby’s scheduled vaccinations.

Parents with questions are encouraged to speak to their GP or another healthcare professional for advice.

RSV immunisation is provided as a single dose of Nirsevimab, which gives babies immediate protection during the RSV season and helps prevent severe infection and hospitalisation.