The UK will become the first country in the world to have a national programme that uses the same vaccine to protect both newborns and older adults against RSV.
From 1 September 2024, those who turn 75 and those age 75 to 79 will be eligible for a free vaccine to protect them from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
All women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant on 1 September 2024, should be offered a single dose of the RSV vaccine, through commissioned services. After that, pregnant women will become eligible as they reach 28 weeks gestation and remain eligible up to birth. The ideal opportunity to offer vaccination would be at the 28-week antenatal contact (ANC), following prior discussion at the 20-week ANC.
RSV is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs. RSV infection often causes symptoms similar to a cold, including:
- cough
- sore throat
- sneezing
- a runny or blocked nose
It can also make you become wheezy or short of breath and lead to pneumonia and other life-threatening conditions. There is no specific treatment, and most infections will get better by themselves. Every year thousands of older adults need hospital care for RSV, and some of them will die. RSV can be more severe in people with medical conditions such as heart or lung disease or a weakened immune system.
RSV infection is common in young children but is most serious for small babies and for older people.
Read more here: https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/07/17/what-is-rsv-and-is-there-a-vaccine/