by The introduction of a vaccine against a common lung disease could save 5,000 babies from needing hospitalization each year, health experts say.
Population modelling conducted by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) suggests that vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection could also save 200 infants from requiring intensive care.
Starting next month, women after 28 weeks of pregnancy will be offered the vaccine to protect their babies from the moment of birth.
RSV infects about 90% of children within the first two years of life. In most cases, it causes mild, cold-like symptoms.
However, it can cause serious lung infections, including pneumonia and bronchiolitis in infants, and is one of the leading causes of infant mortality worldwide.
Pregnant women are advised to get vaccinated so that they can develop antibodies that will be passed on to the baby via the placenta. Image: iStock
Illnesses caused by the virus are the main cause of overloading of children’s hospitals every winter, as they lead to increased demands on pediatric intensive care units and the cancellation of operations.
It is responsible for around 20,000 hospital admissions of children under one year of age and leads to 20 to 30 infant deaths in the UK each year.
“Protection is all you could wish for”
Christine Burlison, whose baby became seriously ill from the virus, is urging pregnant women to get vaccinated against the new vaccine.
Her daughter Aria was 11 days old when she began having difficulty breathing and was taken to the hospital.
Doctors said she had developed bronchiolitis, a blockage of the airways in the lungs, as a result of an RSV infection.
“It’s great that there is now the possibility of a vaccine that could prevent other families from having to go through the same experiences as ours,” Ms Burlison said.
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“The worst thing that can happen to you as a parent is to see your child struggling to breathe.
“Having this protection for a newborn is everything you could ask for.”
The study, published earlier this year in Lancet Regional Health Europe, assumes that 60% of pregnant women will get vaccinated.
A second peak in cases affects older people, which is why people over 75 are also being offered vaccination to boost their immunity.
The vaccination programme aims to protect lives and reduce winter pressure on the NHS
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UKHSA, said the vaccination programmes would protect lives while easing pressure on the NHS over the winter.
“The vaccine is a really positive moment for public health,” she said. “I urge everyone who is eligible to take up the offer when programs begin in September.”
Pregnant women receive the vaccine so that their bodies produce antibodies against the virus, which are passed to the baby through the placenta.
They are then protected from the moment of their birth.
