“Groundbreaking” new vaccine will help to save lives

Vaccination programme will ease pressures on NHS, with Lancet study indicating that it could prevent 5,000 hospitalisations and 15,000 A&E attendances for infants

The NHS has introduced a new vaccine for pregnant women and older adults to help ease pressure on hospitals at peak times of the year.

From September, women will be able to protect their child against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) with a jab once they are 28 weeks pregnant. The vaccine will also be available to those aged 75-79.

Like the influenza virus, RSV is a common cause of coughs and colds and although infections usually get better by themselves, they can be serious for babies and older adults.

Andrew Gwynne MP, Government Minister for Public Health and Prevention said: “RSV is preventable and it is crucial that we take the necessary steps to protect ourselves and our loved ones. This new vaccine programme will save precious lives.”

Mr Gwynne said his own grandson was just weeks old when he contracted the RSV virus, which developed into bronchiolitis. He was put in an induced coma and spent two weeks in intensive care.

"It was heartbreaking watching this tiny baby helpless on the machine," he said. "Around 20,000 babies a year are hospitalised with RSV, and 20-30 a year die from it. That's why this vaccine is so important.”

Steve Russell, NHS National Director for Vaccinations and Screening said the vaccine would help to ease pressures across the NHS as winter approaches.

He said: “While RSV infections can occur all year round, cases usually peak in winter, so it’s important that those eligible take up the offer as soon as possible this autumn when offered by the NHS.”

Approximately 20,000 babies are admitted to hospital with the virus each year in England, and it is the main cause of winter pressures in children’s hospitals and paediatric intensive care units.

A recent study in the Lancet indicated that a vaccination programme could prevent 5,000 hospitalisations and 15,000 A&E attendances for infants.

The study also suggested that the first season of the older adults’ programme could prevent about 2,500 hospital admissions and 15,000 GP visits.

“Having a new RSV vaccine offers huge opportunities to prevent severe illness in those most vulnerable, helping to protect lives [and] ease NHS winter pressures.”

Kate Brintworth, Chief Midwifery Officer for NHS England said: “I would like to thank all those who have been working to make this groundbreaking vaccine rollout a reality.

“With almost 30 years as a midwife, I appreciate all the efforts across the NHS in bringing together vaccination and maternity services so that it is easy for women to get a RSV jab as soon as they’re eligible.”

Professor Dame Jenny Harries, CEO at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) described the vaccine rollout as a “truly positive moment for the public’s health”.

She said: “UKHSA has provided critical scientific information to evidence the benefits of a national RSV programme. Having a new RSV vaccine offers huge opportunities to prevent severe illness in those most vulnerable, helping to protect lives as well as ease NHS winter pressures.”