Sabin Awarded Three-Year Gates Foundation Grant for RSV Immunization Initiative

The Sabin Vaccine Institute has been awarded a three-year grant from the Gates Foundation to lead a new global communications and advocacy initiative to help accelerate global access to maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunization. Sabin will lead a global communications and advocacy strategy, helping strengthen the investment case for maternal RSV immunization and accelerate equitable access in resource-limited settings.

Why Maternal RSV Immunization Matters for Infants

RSV is a major cause of severe respiratory illness in infants and the most common viral cause of pneumonia in children. According to the World Health Organization, RSV causes more than 3.6 million hospitalizations and about 100,000 deaths in children under 5 each year. Approximately half of RSV-related deaths among children occur in infants under six months of age.

As maternal RSV immunization moves toward broader global availability, countries have a new opportunity to protect infants during their most vulnerable first months of life.

Sabin will work with the Gates Foundation and a large consortia of global partners to translate evidence into coordinated communications, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement strategies that support policy decisions, sustainable financing, and equitable access to maternal RSV immunization.

"We're delighted to join Gates and partners in this impactful work. Protecting infants from RSV requires more than an effective vaccine; it requires an understanding of the virus, political-fiscal commitment, and coordinated action," notes Kate Hopkins, PhD, MPH, Senior Director, Vaccine Demand & Implementation at Sabin. "Over the next three years, we will work with partners to build that enabling environment at the global and regional levels, so countries can hopefully be better positioned to introduce maternal RSV immunization."

The initiative is already underway, with Sabin's first meeting at the RSV Maternal Immunization Readiness Network in Africa and Asia (MIRNA) Early Adopters gathering in Nairobi, Kenya later this month.