Mapping the availability of RSV vaccine uptake data across Europe: a scoping review

Issue/Problem

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of infant hospitalisation and morbidity across Europe, placing significant seasonal pressure on health services. New maternal and infant immunisation programmes have been implemented variably across countries. Programme effectiveness will depend on uptake of these strategies, and data are essential to enable evaluation, support shared learning, and ensure equitable access. We conducted a scoping review to map current RSV immunisation policies and the availability of uptake data across countries in Europe.

Description of the problem

We followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines and conducted a scoping review using PubMed, Google Scholar, and grey literature, including official government policy documents. Key search terms included “RSV”, “uptake”, “maternal vaccine”, “nirsevimab”, “coverage”, and “Europe”. Data were charted to address the following questions: (1) What immunisation strategy is used by each country as of April 2026 (maternal/infant/universal/at-risk)? (2) What is the availability of uptake data for these immunisation strategies? (3) At what level are these data reported (regional/national)?

Results

Data were identified for 32 countries in Europe. Immunisation policies reported at the start of the 2025/2026 RSV season remained unchanged in April 2026, with most countries funding universal infant immunisation programmes. Uptake data was available for 16 countries (50%). Among these, 3/16 (19%) reported both nirsevimab and maternal vaccine uptake, 5/16 (31%) maternal vaccination only, and 7/16 (44%) nirsevimab only. Most data derive from regional studies, hospital cohorts or short-term evaluations rather than routine national surveillance data.

Lesson

Currently, data availability on uptake of new RSV immunisation strategies is low, limiting comparison of coverage and equity between countries and enabling shared learning on RSV immunisation implementation.

Key messages

• RSV maternal and infant immunisation uptake data availability varies across European countries.

• Increasing availability of uptake data would facilitate shared learning as countries implement these new immunisation strategies.