‘The kids of Alberta deserve it’: Pediatricians seek universal coverage for RSV shots

Alberta pediatricians are urging the province to offer a universal RSV vaccine for infants. Only a fraction of babies can get vaccinated free of cost.

Alberta pediatricians are calling on the province to provide a preventative RSV shot, for free, to all newborns.

In a letter sent to Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange earlier this month, the Alberta Medical Association’s section of pediatrics argues that providing this coverage could prevent babies from getting sick and ultimately reduce pressure on hospitals.

“It’s been proven to be quite efficacious against RSV and reduces hospitalization and ICU admissions by 80 to 90 per cent,” said Edmonton-based pediatrician and president of the AMA’s pediatrics section Dr. Sam Wong.

RSV is a very common illness that peaks during fall and winter months, aligning with the busiest times emergency rooms.

Provincial data shows RSV led to 525 hospitalizations of Alberta children under the age of one this respiratory illness season. Sixty of those babies ended up in the ICU. No deaths were reported this season.

“It’s important that we protect the babies and reduce the stress on the healthcare system,” Wong said.

Alberta currently limits eligibility to babies deemed high-risk, like those born prematurely, rather than offering universal coverage.

Pediatricians say this approach “does not reflect” what they are seeing in admittance. “In fact, most infants with severe RSV are previously healthy and full-term.”

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Alberta publicly funds RSV prevention for adults 70 years and older, as well as certain adults 60 years and older.

In the letter, pediatricians express concern with this, saying, “it is striking that infants, who bear the highest RSV hospitalization burden, still do not have universal access to RSV prevention.”

They are calling on the province to publicly fund a preventative RSV shot for all babies younger than six months old at the start of the RSV season, and all babies born during the 2026-27 RSV season.

In early April, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization updated its guidance when it comes to protecting babies from RSV.

It recommends provinces either include universal coverage of vaccines for newborns or provide a combination of a vaccine given during pregnancy, and an antibody shot to follow for high-risk infants.

The preferred vaccine would be giving monoclonal antibodies, it said, and a single injection of the medication would provide active protection through an infant’s first RSV season.

While most provinces already offer universal RSV immunization for all infants, Alberta currently only offers the antibody shot Nirsevimab to high-risk infants, such as those born prematurely.

That means most families don’t qualify for a free shot, which is a problem because experts say most of the severe cases are in healthy, full-term babies.

“The majority of babies who land in the hospital because of an RSV infection are healthy, full-term babies,” said Dr. Eliana Castillo, a Calgary-based physician who specializes in maternal medicine research and works with NACI.

She said it’s important to help protect babies during their most vulnerable time.

“There is the worry that lack of oxygen, especially in those first few months of life can have detrimental effects on their development, and basically their brains,” Castillo said.

Alberta won’t commit to universal vaccines

CTV News reached out to the province for comment and LaGrange’s office said its decisions were made through “an evidence-based approach.”

“Alberta currently provides RSV immunoprophylaxis for infants at highest risk through the Alberta pediatric RSV prevention program. Eligibility for the 2026–27 season will be determined based on expert advice from the program and communicated ahead of the season," said the ministry of primary and preventative health services in a statement.

“At this time, no decision has been made regarding universal coverage.”

The province said it has consulted with the Institute of Health Economics, to guide RSV prevention for future years.

But for Calgary mother Katrina Bellavance, not having access to free vaccines doesn’t make sense after seeing her down daughter come down with the virus and spend four days on oxygen in the hospital at just seven weeks old.

“Having a tiny infant and watching them struggle to breathe is so scary because you have no idea what that outcome is going to be,” Bellavance said.

It was a traumatic experience Bellavance hopes others can avoid now that there are options to protect babies that weren’t available in Canada when her daughter got RSV three years ago.

“We have something that can prevent that and help families avoid that whole situation of tiny infants in the hospital and trying to navigate that, and the fact that it’s not available to me is surprising it doesn’t really make sense.”

Wong, who has seen lots of RSV in his career, says he feels optimistic about the possibility of reducing RSV case numbers when he speaks to colleagues in the United States who have used antibody shots for newborns.

“They went from dozens to hundreds of kids with RSV every year to single digits that they were seeing in their clinics, and they said it was amazing.”

“I think the kids of Alberta deserve it,” Wong said.

Another option NACI recommends is the Abrysvo vaccine, which mothers can get late in their pregnancies to protect newborns, as opposed to Nirsevimab, an antibody given to infants.

Alberta mothers can currently get the shot while pregnant at their own cost.