But uptake is spotty across the country and experts say it's time to act to boost immunisation rates.
Only 84 babies under six months of age have been admitted to hospital with severe RSV by April this year, compared with 165 in the same month in 2024, according to the Immunisation Foundation of Australia.
This is the first hospitalisation data since the rollout of the national RSV vaccination program at the beginning of the year, and experts say this figure is a positive sign that the program is working.
While maternal vaccination rates are not yet available, RSV notifications and infant nirsevimab uptake data across the states and territories have been published.
More than 60,000 cases have been reported nationally across all age groups as of 3 June, half of which are in children under five.
Over half of these cases are from NSW, which has the second lowest infant vaccination rate at less than 8% as of 18 May.
Queensland has the highest vaccination rate, with more than 37% of children under eight months of age protected at the start of winter, followed by almost 29% in Northern Territory.
Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory have an infant vaccination rate of 10-20%, and Victoria trails at just over 6%.
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RSV notifications are low in Tasmania, NT, ACT, WA and SA, and combined they account for less than 10% of total national cases. Almost 15% of cases are from Victoria and 22% are from QLD.
“RSV continues to pose a serious risk to young children, and while we’re seeing positive signs, broader immunisation uptake remains critical,” said Catherine Hughes AM, Founder of the Immunisation Foundation of Australia.
She stressed that it’s not too late to protect babies from serious RSV and that up to 10,000 hospitalisations can be prevented each year.
“With winter now upon us, now is the time to ensure that as many babies and infants as possible are protected against severe RSV,” said Professor Chris Blyth, Perth Children’s Hospital paediatrician and vaccination specialist.
The foundation states that around 12,000 Australian babies aged 12 months or younger are admitted to hospital with severe RSV each year.
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright said that it’s encouraging that WA has announced that their infant immunisation program will continue in 2026, RSV vaccines need to be nationally funded for every at-risk group.
“With more than half of reported cases occurring in babies and children aged under four and almost 20% occurring among over 60s, protecting these populations is crucial,” Dr Wright said. 
“Federal and State Governments must cooperate to ensure all vulnerable groups can access the vaccine for free to keep them safe and reduce the spread of the disease.”
RSV notifications are expected to rise as we head into winter, as was the trend in 2024. Total cases for that year exceeded 175,000.
