About this education
RSV is responsible for the majority of bronchiolitis cases in Australian infants¹ and sends thousands of children to hospital each year.² Yet the acute illness is only part of the story. Mounting epidemiological and biological evidence links severe early-life RSV infection with recurrent wheezing and asthma³ - a connection that is still debated in terms of causality³ but is increasingly hard to ignore in clinical practice.⁴ At the same time, a new prevention landscape has arrived: NIP-funded maternal RSV vaccination and long-acting monoclonal antibodies now offer genuine primary prevention opportunities that sit squarely within the GP's scope.
This webinar provides Australian GPs and Nurse Practitioners with a clinically grounded, evidence-based framework for understanding the RSV–asthma relationship, implementing current immunoprophylaxis guidelines, counselling families on long-term respiratory risk, and managing the post-RSV child in general practice.
Praxhub acknowledges Sanofi for its support of this education. The sponsor has provided no input into the content of this activity.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this education you will be able to:
1
Describe the epidemiological and biological evidence linking severe early-life RSV infection with asthma development, referencing key Australian data.
2
Differentiate the 'marker hypothesis' from the 'causal hypothesis' in the RSV–asthma debate and apply this distinction to parent and carer counselling.
3
Appraise current Australian guidelines (ATAGI and state/territory programs) for maternal RSV vaccination and monoclonal antibody prophylaxis.
4
Formulate evidence-based management plans for infants and children with recurrent post-viral wheeze following RSV infection, including referral criteria and thresholds for initiating preventative asthma therapy.
5
Identify Australian populations at highest risk of severe RSV disease and long-term respiratory sequelae, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and those with relevant comorbidities.
Expert Presenters
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Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Details
This medical education activity has been approved for 1.5 Educational Activity hours, 5 Measuring Outcomes hours and 1 Reviewing Performance hour with:
Activity ID: 1595315
Activity ID: 2377
Activity ID: 41744
Automatic hours lodgement
RACGP and AMA/CPDHome members can now enjoy the convenience of rapid, automatic EA hours lodgement for this education. See your completed hours lodged within 24 hours.*
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Please note that any additional reading or learning connected to this activity can be self recorded with your CPD body.
Praxhub is an accredited Major Provider under the RACGP CPD Program.
Praxhub is a Certified Learning Provider under the AMA's CPDHome CPD Program.
References:
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Crawford, N.W. et al. (2025) 'Study of Children Aged Under 2 Years Admitted With RSV at Four Australian Hospitals [2021–2022]', Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 61, p. 482.
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Immunisation Coalition (2024) Record RSV Cases in 2024 Prompt Vital RSV Vaccine Addition to the National Immunisation Program. Available at: https://www.immunisationcoalition.org.au/.
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Driscoll, A.J. et al. (2020) 'Does respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory illness in early life cause recurrent wheeze of early childhood and asthma? Critical review of the evidence and guidance for future studies from a World Health Organization-sponsored meeting', Vaccine, 38, pp. 2435–2448.
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Asseri, A.A. (2025) 'Respiratory Syncytial Virus: A Narrative Review of Updates and Recent Advances in Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, Management and Prevention', Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14, p. 3880.