EDMONTON — Pediatricians in the Alberta Medical Association have called on the Government of Alberta to grant free Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccinations for all newborns, a move that would align Alberta's policy with national recommendations. "Each winter, hundreds of Alberta infants are hospitalized with a respiratory infection we now have the tools to prevent," reads a letter from Dr. Sam Wong, on behalf of the AMA Pediatrics Section, sent to Alberta's Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services, Adriana LaGrange, on April 1. Data from Alberta Health Services reports that 516 infants under 1 years-old have been hospitalized as of Monday in 2025-2026, with 59 of those leading to ICU admissions. Likewise, 511 children between the ages of 1 and 4 years old have been hospitalized, 27 of whom have been admitted to the ICU..Alberta currently offers the vaccination free for "high-risk" infants, such as those born premature or with congenital heart/lung conditions, but others have to pay if they wish for their children to receive it.All mothers in Alberta who wish to receive the RSV vaccine while pregnant to pass antibodies to their baby must pay out of pocket, with costs sometimes exceeding $300.The AMA's letter calls on LaGrange to publicly fund all RSV immunizations for infants younger than 6 months at the start of the RSV season, as well as for infants born during the season. "Each RSV season places predictable, preventable strain on Alberta's pediatric emergency departments and inpatient units at the worst possible time," the letter reads. "Nationally, infants under six months account for nearly half of RSV hospitalizations and nearly half of annual RSV healthcare costs.""Broader infant RSV immunoprophylaxis would reduce one of the many viruses that apply intense demand on our pediatric health care system and free capacity for other urgent care where wait-times surge during the viral season."Alberta currently funds RSV vaccinations for all Albertans aged 70 and older."In that context, it is striking that infants, who bear the highest RSV hospitalization burden, still do not have universal access to RSV prevention," the letter reads..The Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services told the Western Standard that it understands the importance of protecting infants through RSV vaccination and is using an "evidence-based" approach to ensure public funding delivers "the greatest health benefits.""Alberta currently provides RSV immunoprophylaxis for infants at highest risk through the Alberta Pediatric RSV Prevention Program," reads a statement from the ministry. "Eligibility for the 2026–27 season will be determined based on expert advice from the program and communicated ahead of the season.""At this time, no decision has been made regarding universal coverage. To inform future approaches, we have asked the Institute of Health Economics to conduct an Alberta-specific cost-effectiveness and feasibility analysis to guide RSV prevention for future seasons.”.The AMA's proposed policy would more closely align with recommendations from a National Advisory Committee on Immunization study published on April 10, which calls on provinces to either offer universal immunization for infants or vaccinate pregnant mothers, followed by a follow-up for high-risk infants. NACI's report cites studies claiming that the niresevmab vaccine in infants is 75% effective in reducing RSV-related medically treated infections, 83% effective in reducing hospitalizations, and 81% effective in reducing ICU admissions. Similarly, the RSVpreF vaccine administered during pregnancy is 57% to 82% effective in reducing RSV-related hospitalizations, 64% to 87% effective in reducing ICU admissions, and 54% to 64% effective in reducing medical treatment. Universal coverage is available in many provinces, including Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. BC, Newfoundland and Labrador, and New Brunswick offer coverage similar to that of Alberta.
