RSV, a leading cause of infant mortality around the world, is a common cause of coughs and colds but can lead to severe lung infections like pneumonia and infant bronchiolitis, which are highly dangerous to older people, young children and babies.
As part of winter preparations, the NHS will be vaccinating pregnant women and older adults, including those turning 75 on or after 1 September.
There will also be a one-off ‘catch-up’ offer for everyone aged 75 to 79 years old to ensure the older age group are protected as the winter months approach.
Staff from vaccination and maternity teams across the East of England and the country have worked together to make it as easy as possible for pregnant women to get the life-saving jab at any point from 28 weeks into their pregnancy, alongside their maternity care.
Women should speak to their maternity service about receiving their vaccine from 28 weeks to at any point up to birth. In the East of England, to make it as easy as possible to get a jab, community vaccination teams will be contacting pregnant women to invite them to book an appointment for their vaccine at a clinic convenient to them. Alternatively, pregnant women can get vaccinated by request at their local GP practice, while older adults will be invited by their local GP practice. The NHS will ensure that the vaccine will be available all year round.
Research shows that the babies of the thousands of women across the world who have been vaccinated against RSV had their risk of severe lung infection reduced by around 70% in the first six months of life. RSV cases in children have been increasing in the past couple of years, with an average of 146 young children across England in hospital each day at the peak in winter last year (week ending 3 December 2023), up 11% on the peak observed during the previous winter (132) from the same time in late November.
A recent study in the Lancet showed that the new programme could prevent over 500 hospitalisations and almost 1,600 A&E attendances for infants in the East of England each year – a critical, life-saving step forward to help front line staff prepare for increased winter pressures.
The same modelling suggests that in the East of England, the first season of the older adult’s catch-up programme could prevent more than 300 hospital admissions, almost 2,000 GP visits and over 7,000 RSV illnesses in adults in the older age group.
Having the vaccine during pregnancy is the best way to protect a baby from getting seriously ill with RSV, as the vaccine boosts the mother’s immune system to produce more antibodies against the virus to help protect the baby from the day they are born.
Dr Eleanor Powers, Head of Public Health Commissioning (Immunisation) for NHS England – East of England, said: “For the first time ever we are offering the RSV vaccine to pregnant women and older adults at greatest risk – and this is going to help to protect the lives of the most vulnerable and to ease pressures across the NHS over the busy winter months.
“Getting vaccinated is the best way you can protect yourself and those around you against bronchiolitis and lung infections potentially caused by RSV – and 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.”
Wendy Matthews, Chief Midwife, Director of Nursing, East of England, said: “Getting vaccinated is a crucial way to protect babies, women and families.
“My thanks go to everyone who has made this groundbreaking vaccine rollout a reality, and as a midwife myself, I appreciate all the hard work across the NHS to bring together vaccination and maternity services to make it easy for women to get an RSV jab as soon as they’re eligible.”
The NHS is also kicking off vaccination programmes for other viruses which cause the most harm during winter, including flu and COVID-19, as we need to protect people who are at greatest risk ahead of winter. Getting vaccinated is a crucial way to protect babies, women and families – and also helps our local NHS services in the East of England cope with increased pressures during the winter period.
Flu vaccinations will be offered to pregnant women and most children from this month, and will also be offered to others eligible alongside the COVID-19 vaccine from 3 October.
The RSV virus is a main cause of winter pressures on children’s wards every year, leading to increased pressure on paediatric intensive care units.
As advised by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the RSV vaccine has been approved by medicines regulators in the UK, Europe and the USA. Many thousands of women have had the vaccine in other countries, including more than 100,000 women in the USA.