A mother whose two children were admitted to hospital after contracting a respiratory virus has urged pregnant women to accept a new NHS vaccine.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can lead to severe lung infections such as pneumonia and infant bronchiolitis and, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), is a leading cause of infant mortality globally.
According to the agency, the virus infects around 90% of children in their first two years of life.
Christine Burlison’s daughter Aria was just 11 days old when she was admitted to hospital after she began struggling to breathe.
Doctors said she had developed bronchiolitis, a blocking of the airways in the lungs, as a result of RSV.
Aria recovered and her parents were able to spot the signs when her younger brother Jude also contracted the virus shortly after he was born.
He was then admitted to hospital for a few hours.
In healthy adults and older children, RSV typically causes cold-like symptoms.
However, babies are at risk of severe infection with RSV and can need hospital care, particularly in the winter months.
Premature babies, older adults, people with heart and lung disease or anyone with a weak immune system are at greater risk.
All women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant on September 1 will be offered a single dose of a vaccine on the NHS to protect themselves and their babies.
All women will then become eligible for a vaccine once they reach 28 weeks of pregnancy.
Ms Burlison, from Southampton, said: “Now having the option of a vaccine that could prevent other families having to go through the same experiences as ours did is simply amazing.
“The most terrible thing that you can face as a parent is seeing your child struggling to breathe.
“Knowing now that there is a vaccine that could remove all that worry and anxiety is just incredible.
“Having that protection for a newborn is all you could wish for as a parent.”
Recent analysis showed the new vaccination programme could prevent 5,000 hospital admissions and 15,000 emergency department attendances for infants, the UKHSA said.
It also estimated that the programme could result in 70,000 fewer RSV illnesses in infants under 12 months old, 20,000 fewer GP consultations and avoid more than 200 infants being admitted to intensive care units.
Anyone aged 75 and over as of September 1 will also be offered one dose of Pfizer’s jab Abrysvo to protect against RSV, along with a one-off campaign for those already aged 75-79.
In Scotland, the programmes will run from August, with Northern Ireland and Wales expected to follow.
Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said that if pregnant women take up the offer of the jab there could be a “dramatic fall” in hospital admissions among children.
“As a paediatrician, over the last 35 years of my career, I’ve seen every winter an avalanche of babies coming into hospital, distressed parents, and some of those in intensive care and very rarely some in this country also dying from the disease,” he told Sky News.
“And it’s a huge burden on the NHS, it adds winter pressures to our system.
“Now we’re in a position where we can prevent those admissions to hospital with a new vaccine, which is going to be launched this year.”
He added: “There are about 20,000-30,000 babies admitted to hospital every year with the virus, and really the vaccine is very highly effective, so it depends what the coverage is like.
“So if pregnant women take the vaccine, then we should be able to see very dramatic fall… if more people take the vaccine then we have the potential to keep more babies out of hospital and healthy in that critical and vulnerable time of their lives.”
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UKHSA, said: “Having the vaccine during every pregnancy is the best way to protect your baby against RSV, as the vaccine boosts your immune system to produce more antibodies against the virus, and these then pass through the placenta to help protect your baby from the day they are born.
“The vaccine reduces the risk of severe bronchiolitis by 70% in the first six months of life.
“The RSV vaccine is the safest way to protect you and your baby.
“It 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.”
Andrew Gwynne, minister for public health and prevention, said: “Maternal vaccinations are crucial to protect newborns from life-threatening illnesses like RSV.
“Sadly my grandson caught RSV, just days after he was born. It led to weeks in intensive care and persistent, long-lasting health issues. I wouldn’t wish that on any family.
“This new vaccine programme offers us an opportunity to prevent similar trauma, helping stop thousands of hospitalisations while saving precious lives.
“I urge everyone eligible to get the vaccine. By doing so, you will provide protection from the first day of your baby’s life and safeguard your child’s future.”
Steve Russell, NHS national director for vaccinations and screening, said: “This is a vitally important study demonstrating the huge impact the RSV vaccine will have, reducing pressure on NHS services during the winter months but more importantly keeping infants out of hospital and saving lives.”
