Expensive Cold Virus: RSV Devours Millions

The cold virus RSV causes disease costs of 316.9 million euros per year in Austria. This includes direct expenses for treatments as well as indirect costs due to work absences. This is shown by a study commissioned by the Association of Vaccine Manufacturers (ÖVIH). The inclusion of the RSV vaccination in the free vaccination program for adults "would make sense because it could really save costs," said ÖVIH President Renée Gallo-Daniel in an APA interview.

Since December 2024, all infants in Austria have had free access to so-called passive immunizations against RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus). The injection with monoclonal antibodies is administered in the first week of life in the hospital, depending on the month of birth, or before the start of the cold season at the pediatrician. There were "clearly fewer" admissions last season "and hardly any in the intensive care unit," pediatrician Volker Strenger recently reported.

Numerous RSV Infections

The analysis now conducted by the Institute for Pharmacoeconomic Research (IPF) does not yet fully include the past RSV season. The calendar years 2022 to 2024 were chosen as the study period. The evaluation shows that 3.2 percent of the population in Austria contracts RSV each year. "That's 295,000 people across all age groups," explained Gallo-Daniel. Around 3,300 affected individuals were hospitalized with RSV each year from 2022 to 2024, 67 percent of them in the first year of life and the rest mostly in older adulthood.

However, adults are responsible for 262.7 million euros of the 316.9 million euros in disease costs from RSV infections calculated by the IPF, reported Gallo-Daniel. The high indirect costs are decisive for this. Across all age groups, the indirect costs due to sick leave and care leave account for 81.6 percent of the total sum, or 258.74 million euros. The direct expenses for outpatient and inpatient treatments up to the intensive care unit and including medication amount to slightly more than 58 million euros.

Mortality at 0.03 Percent

The study found a mortality rate of 0.03 percent of those infected, or an average of 76 people per year over the three-year analysis period. This is consistent with data from the Ministry of Health, emphasized Gallo-Daniel. In risk groups aside from age - for example, people with diabetes, heart disease, COPD, or asthma - it is shown that the risk is 4.1 times higher to contract an RSV infection and have a severe course. Risk groups also have higher average disease costs than the entire group of people studied, explained the ÖVIH President.

There could be relief if the willingness to vaccinate is higher and RSV immunization is also included in a vaccination concept for adults, said Gallo-Daniel. The high demand for the free vaccinations against pneumococci and shingles (Herpes Zoster) introduced in November shows that the need is there. The IPF analysis aims to raise awareness that RSV is also present as a disease and that it incurs costs for society and the system, explained the ÖVIH President. "If we vaccinate widely, we can influence this," she said. Additionally, it would be "fair if everyone had the same access." For adults, the RSV vaccination is generally recommended in the National Vaccination Plan from the age of 60, but currently has to be paid for privately.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.