Latvia’s National Immunisation Council (NIC) is calling for an urgent decision to allocate €600,000 so that passive immunisation against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can be introduced for all newborns and infants born during the RSV season as early as November this year, according to council member Inga Akmentiņa-Smildziņa.
The council said in a letter that this is a decision of national importance in terms of child health, demographics, and the efficient use of the healthcare budget.
“Every delayed RSV season results in severely ill infants, overcrowded paediatric intensive care units, and avoidable hospital costs. This is a situation where prevention is not only the medically correct decision but also the economically responsible one,” said Dace Zavadska, Chair of the National Immunisation Council.
In its letter to Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs, the council stressed that the current approach, which focuses only on certain high-risk groups, fails to protect the majority of children, as severe RSV infections also occur in previously healthy infants.
According to the council, seasonal RSV prevention would be needed for approximately 6,000 children each year in Latvia. Experience from other European countries shows a significant reduction in hospitalisations after introducing universal RSV protection programmes for infants.
“We are asking for the implementation of a new and proven initiative. The medical and economic justification has been prepared, healthcare professionals are united, and parents are ready. What is needed now is a political decision,” Zavadska emphasised.
The council is urging the Prime Minister to take direct political responsibility and meet with experts from the National Immunisation Council and the Children’s Clinical University Hospital to find a funding solution within this year’s state budget.