Aleisha Orr
Thousands of adults unprotected against RSV
While more than 75,000 older West Australians have chosen to protect themselves from influenza this winter, more than half of them remain unprotected against the most common respiratory virus now circulating.
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Aleisha Orr
At least 75,640 people aged 75 years and older in WA have been immunised against the flu in 2026, whereas just 37,880 have been vaccinated for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
At the same time, there have been 5106 cases of RSV in WA this year, higher than the 4142 cases of influenza.
The Immunisation Foundation of Australia’s (IFA) Mid-Winter RSV Report Card highlights the gap between RSV and influenza vaccinations on a national basis.
The Foundation's executive director Catherine Hughes said there was a massive gap in RSV vaccination coverage.
“The RSV vaccine was unfortunately not available in April and early May when many older Australians receive their flu shot, so it’s clear there is some catching up to do," she said.
Ms Hughes noted that an IFA poll of 1000 older Australians found almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents did not know that RSV and flu vaccines can be given at the same time. She said the most useful thing a GP could do this winter was simply raise the topic.
“In our survey of eligible older Australians, 71% had never talked about RSV with a health professional, and that's where we're losing people,” Ms Hughes said.
“When a GP they trust says 'this one's worth doing, and it's free for you', they act on it.
“There are close to a million eligible older Australians who still haven't had RSV protection, and for most of them it just hasn't come up.”
The RSV vaccine Arexvy was made available to adults aged 75 years and over, and to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians aged 60 years and over, as part of an expansion to the National Immunisation Program earlier this year.
It followed the WA government funding the introduction of free RSV vaccinations for people aged 65 and over in residential care homes from mid-May, as part of a $14 million investment in vaccines promised in its winter strategy.
WA reported 12,804 RSV cases in 2025, with around one third occurring in people over 65 – many requiring hospital admission.
Ms Hughes said a good time for health practitioners to raise the importance of RSV jabs would be at a flu shot appointment.
Ms Hughes said the fact that severe infant hospitalisations had decreased sharply since the maternal and infant RSV program began was clear evidence that RSV protection can change outcomes.
Research carried out last year found WA's infant RSV immunisation program reduced hospitalisation rates across three hospitals by almost 90% and helped more than 500 WA families avoid a hospital stay.
National research published in May found the national RSV Maternal and Infant Protection Program reduced hospitalisations by 43% in babies aged less than three months – the group at highest risk of severe RSV disease.
"The same opportunity is there for older Australians. Every week of winter still ahead is a week where a vaccine can keep someone out of hospital," Ms Hughes said.