Brazil Begins Nationwide Maternal RSV Vaccination Through Public Health System

Overview

• The rollout began in early December with the first 673,000 federal doses delivered to states, and vaccinations now underway in São Paulo, Rio, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Teresina and across Acre.
• Health Minister Alexandre Padilha marked the start in São Paulo as part of a campaign incorporated into the National Gestational Immunization Calendar for year-round offering in the SUS.
• Pregnant women from 28 weeks receive a single dose per pregnancy free of charge, with coadministration allowed with influenza, COVID-19 and dTpa vaccines.
• The strategy is backed by clinical data showing about 81.8% efficacy against severe RSV disease in the first 90 days of life, providing protection when infants are most vulnerable.
• The government plans an initial 1.8 million doses funded with R$1.17 billion and a technology-transfer agreement with Instituto Butantan to enable domestic production and widen access previously limited to private purchase of about R$1,500 per dose.