According to the DGS, this campaign aims to "protect infants in the first months of life and reduce individual susceptibility, disease burden, and the impact on health services, particularly emergency room visits and hospitalisations due to respiratory infections."

"This will be the second season in which the monoclonal antibody against RSV will be made available free of charge to paediatric patients, following the fall-winter 2024-2025 campaign, which represented a significant milestone in public health, achieving significant and positive results in infection control and prevention," the health authority emphasized in a note published on its website.

The Immunization Campaign will take place in maternity hospitals in the public, private, and social sectors, for children born between September 16, 2025, and March 31, 2026, and in primary health care and hospitals, for children born between June 1 and September 15, 2025, as well as for preterm children or those with other risk factors.

According to the Ministry of Health, the antibody will also be made available to children with increased risk factors for severe infection entering the second seasonal season and who have not reached 24 months of age by September 30, 2025, regardless of whether they were immunized in the previous season.

"This measure represents a sustained focus on prevention, promoting child health, and the well-being of families, prioritizing a preventive approach," she emphasizes.

In statements to the Lusa news agency in April, the Secretary of State for Health, Ana Povo, estimated that approximately 76,000 children will be covered in the 2025-2026 fall-winter campaign.

In the last campaign, vaccination aimed to protect approximately 62,000 children, representing an estimated government investment of 13.6 million euros. Babies between zero and eight months of age were immunized.

According to the state secretary, there was a decrease of approximately 85% in hospitalizations in wards and intensive care for children up to three months old, and a reduction of 40% for babies between three and six months old.