The Department of Health has approved the roll out of a new vaccination programme aimed at protecting newborns and older adults against the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and its complications.
From September, all pregnant women will be offered the RSV vaccination, providing infants with protection against the virus from birth. Adults aged from 75-79 years of age will also be offered it.
This follows advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt encouraged those eligible to avail.
“We know that RSV has a significant impact on our health service each winter and that young children and infants are most at risk from this infection,” he said.
“Introducing this new vaccination programme will not only help us protect our most vulnerable but will also help ease pressures on the health service.
“I would encourage those eligible to avail of the vaccination to help protect themselves and their baby from illness.”
Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Michael McBride said it will help protect our most vulnerable and safeguard health service capacity during the winter, when pressures are often most pronounced.
“RSV is a potentially serious infection, particularly for very young babies,” he said.
“For generations we have seen how effective vaccinations have been in eradicating diseases and protecting children and other vulnerable groups from serious illness and death, but we are now seeing a worrying decline in the uptake of childhood immunisations. Vaccinations offer children the very best start in life. Quite simply, if children aren’t vaccinated, they’re not protected.”
Further information on the roll-out of the programme will be published later in the summer.
