Pregnant mothers and newborns in every state will have access to free vaccines against the contagious RSV respiratory virus before next winter.

The Albanian government is investing $174.5 million to provide pregnant women with free access to the maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, Abrysvo, as part of the national immunization program.

It will also provide nationwide access to a monoclonal antibody for young babies, Beyfortus, which is currently only available to vulnerable newborns in some states.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs and is a leading cause of hospitalization in children.

Most children contract RSV before the age of two, but Health Minister Mark Butler said 12,000 babies are admitted to hospital each winter with a severe case of the virus.

“This is a cutting-edge approach to reducing the impact of RSV on babies,” he said.

“This investment will prevent around 10,000 babies from being hospitalized.”

The maternal RSV vaccine is currently only available privately to women in late pregnancy and costs up to $350.

Adelaide parents Louise and Chris Boyd welcomed the change after watching their six-week-old baby Spencer pass out in the car on the way to hospital in May due to VRS.

Louise Boyd, a respiratory care nurse, said her son developed cold-like symptoms which quickly worsened into respiratory distress.

Baby Spencer spent nine days at Adelaide’s Lyell McEwin Hospital, connected to high-flow oxygen and a feeding tube.

“Seeing your baby surrounded by machines, struggling to breathe, is absolutely horrific,” Ms Boyd said.

“Access to RSV vaccination will provide peace of mind to families.”

The federal government announced in September that it would attempt to reach an agreement with the drug’s sponsor, Pfizer, and include the vaccine in the national immunization program.

Immunization Foundation of Australia director Catherine Hughes AM said after extensive campaigning by the foundation and health organizations, “the federal government listened and acted”.

She said Western Australia was the first state to introduce its own RSV vaccination program for all infants, leading to an 84 per cent drop in hospitalizations.

Similar results were seen in Queensland, which also introduced a statewide infant RSV vaccination program in April, Ms Hughes said.