Media event date:<\/p>\n
19 April 2026\n<\/p>\n
Date published:<\/p>\n
19 April 2026\n<\/p>\n
Media type:<\/p>\n
Media release<\/p>\n
The Albanese Government is introducing free Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccinations for older Australians to ensure they are protected from the common and potentially deadly virus.
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From May 15\u00a0Australians aged 75 and over and can receive free RSV\u00a0vaccination. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are\u00a0eligible from the\u00a0aged of 60.<\/p>\n
Eligible Australians can receive the free RSV vaccine through their preferred local health service including GPs, immunisation clinics, community and Aboriginal health services and participating pharmacies.\u00a0
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The government has invested $445.3 million, to give eligible Australians free access to the RSV vaccine Arexvy\u00ae through the National Immunisation Program (NIP).\u00a0 Without listing on the NIP, the RSV vaccination would typically cost $300.
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RSV is a common respiratory virus that can lead to hospitalisation, intensive care and death. Aged care residents are particularly vulnerable due to shared living arrangements and frequent contact with staff and visitors.
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The addition of the RSV vaccine on the NIP for older adults complements the free NIP influenza and COVID-19 vaccine programs.
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Free influenza vaccines are available under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for\u00a0people\u00a0most at risk of developing severe illness and complications, including:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Children aged 6 months to\u00a0less than\u00a05 years\u00a0\u00a0
\nFirst Nations people aged 6 months and older\u00a0\u00a0
\nAdults aged 65 years and over\u00a0\u00a0
\nPregnant women\u00a0\u00a0
\nPeople with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk of complications from influenza.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Influenza is particularly serious for pregnant women,\u00a0infants\u00a0and children under 5, and adults aged over 65 years,\u00a0as they\u00a0are at higher risk of developing severe illness and complications\u00a0if infected.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The flu vaccine is safe at any stage of pregnancy and while breastfeeding and can be administered at the same time as other recommended vaccines, including for COVID-19 and whooping cough.\u00a0\u00a0
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People can access free NIP influenza vaccines through their GP, pharmacy, community health\u00a0centre\u00a0or Aboriginal health service.\u00a0
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For more information about immunisation talk to your healthcare provider or visit here<\/a>.
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Quotes attributable to Minister Butler:
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\u201cI encourage eligible Australians to protect themselves and their community this winter by getting vaccinated against RSV.
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\u201cAged care residents and older First Nations people are particularly vulnerable to this common respiratory illness.
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\u201cBooking yourself and your family in for a flu vaccine each year is the safest and most effective way to protect yourselves and others against influenza.\u00a0\u00a0
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\u201cNo two influenza seasons are the\u00a0same\u00a0and the flu can spread all year round, so\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0never too late to get vaccinated.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Media event date: 19 April 2026 Date published: 19 April 2026 Media type: Media release The Albanese Government…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":599554,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[64,63,137],"class_list":{"0":"post-616138","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616138\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/599554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}