NHS Rolls out RSV Vaccine to Pregnant Women and the Elderly

The NHS has begun vaccinating pregnant women and older people against a usually mild respiratory virus that can occasionally cause serious complications in babies and the elderly.
Officials hailed the “landmark” respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programme as one that could prevent thousands of hospital admissions, easing pressure on the NHS during winter.
The latest data shows more women in the UK are choosing to have a vaccine-free pregnancy, amid increasing concerns about possible side-effects and efficacy following the COVID-19 jab rollout.
The new NHS programme follows guidance from the JCVI, which advises the government on jabs and considers the “economic burden” to the NHS as part of its decision-making process.
A vaccine against RSV has been sought for decades by the pharmaceutical industry.
The RCPCH said RSV is responsible for around 33,000 hospital admissions of under-5s and between 20 and 30 deaths of young children every year in the UK.
According to the NHS, an average of 146 young children were in hospital with RSV each day at the peak of winter last year, up 11 percent on the previous year.
“A recent study in the Lancet showed that the new programme could prevent 5,000 hospitalisations and 15,000 A&E attendances for infants—a critical, life-saving step forward to help front-line staff prepare for increased winter pressures.”
The NHS added that “modelling suggests” that the first season of the older adult’s catch-up programme could prevent around 2,500 hospital admissions, 15,000 GP visits and 60,000 RSV illnesses in adults for the over-75s.
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said that her organisation “has provided critical scientific information to evidence the benefits of a national RSV programme and so the rollout of the vaccine is a truly positive moment for the public’s health.”
Andrew Gwynne, minister for public health and prevention, said in a statement that his grandson caught RSV just days after he was born, which “led to weeks in intensive care and left him with long-lasting health issues.”
Urging anyone offered it to take up the offer of vaccination, Gynnw added: “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 reduce thousands of hospitalisations and save precious lives.”