Pregnant women and elderly in Norfolk encouraged to get new RSV vaccine
The NHS has started vaccinating pregnant woman and over-75s with the new jab
The NHS has begun vaccinating pregnant women and individuals over the age of 75 with the new Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination.
Individuals who are considered at risk across Norfolk are being urged to take up the vaccine, to protect themselves and their babies from the respiratory infection.
Officials suggest the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) programme could prevent thousands of hospital admissions for babies and elderly people, easing pressure on the NHS in the run-up to the winter months.
Women are being offered the vaccine from 28 weeks of pregnancy to protect themselves and their babies.
RSV causes infections of the lungs and respiratory tract and typically causes cold-like symptoms in healthy adults and older children.
However, babies are at risk of severe illness from the virus, as are premature infants, older adults and people with heart and lung disease or a weak immune system.
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% on the previous year.
Kate Brintworth, chief midwifery officer for NHS England, said: "Vaccination is a vital means of protecting babies, women and families, as well as helping to manage increased pressures on NHS capacity during the winter period."
Sharon Rippe, a senior Health Protection practitioner and midwife with the UK Health Security Agency in the East of England, highlighted the importance of the vaccine. “The new RSV vaccine is a significant development in protecting two key vulnerable groups,” Sharon said.
“Pregnant women and those over 75 are at higher risk, and the vaccine aims to offer them protection.”
Sharon detailed that the vaccine, when administered to pregnant women after 28 weeks of pregnancy, can provide immunity to their babies for up to six months. “This protection can reduce RSV respiratory infections in babies under six months by 70%,” she noted. “RSV can lead to severe illness in infants, potentially causing hospitalisation or even death.”