Free vaccine rollout to protect newborns from virus

Pregnant women will have free access to a vaccine to protect their newborns from the leading cause of hospitalisation for babies.

Free vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, will be rolled out from February 3 as part of a $174 million federal government program.

The vaccine will be made available to women who are between 28 to 36-weeks pregnant, to protect them and their child from the virus.

RSV, a respiratory virus that affects the nose, throat and lungs, causes more than 12,000 babies to be admitted to hospital each year.

A vaccine given during pregnancy reduces the risk of severe cases of RSV among children under six months by 70 per cent.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the rollout would ensure babies and their parents were better protected from the virus.

"Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be rolling out the world's most comprehensive protection program for our babies against RSV," he told Nine's Today program on Sunday.

"That will cut the hospitalisation rate from about 12,000 a year by 10,000 - a huge relief to parents but also a relief to a pressured hospital system."

The free RSV vaccines will be able to be administered to pregnant women around the same time as other maternal immunisations such as for influenza or whooping cough.

The vaccine would ordinarily cost patients $300 for a dose.

Founding director of the Immunisation Foundation of Australia, Catherine Hughes, said the vaccine rollout was critical.

"This is a huge milestone to help protect infants from RSV and will provide long-awaited support for many Australian families," she said.

"Australia leads the world with some of the highest maternal vaccination rates, and I expect that to continue with the introduction of a maternal RSV vaccine."