The NHS is rolling out a new vaccine to protect vulnerable people from a major winter virus.
Women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant and elderly people aged 75 to 79 will be offered the vaccine to protect them against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that causes coughs and colds in winter, but can also lead to life-threatening breathing difficulties.
NHS England said that research from thousands of pregnant women across the world who have been vaccinated against RSV shows that it ‘reduces the risk of severe lung infection by around 70% for their babies in the first six months of life’.
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RSV in infants under one can be particularly harmful as it can cause bronchiolitis, which leads to inflammation of the small airways and significant breathing difficulties. In older adults, it can cause acute respiratory illness.
According to NHS England data, RSV cases in children have been increasing in the past couple of years, with an average of 146 young children in hospital each day at the peak of winter last year, an increase of 11% during the same time in 2022.
A recent study by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found that the vaccine could prevent 5,000 hospitalisations and 15,000 A&E attendances for infants this winter, as well as 2,500 hospital admissions for older people.
Paediatrician Yasmin Baki, who works at University College London Hospitals said: ‘[RSV] is potentially life-threatening, particularly for very young, vulnerable babies who may have other conditions, like cardiac conditions, or may be premature. Those babies tend to get very sick.’
She welcomed the rollout of the vaccine, saying it would be a ‘gamechanger’ in winter and urged pregnant women to get the jab.