A new vaccine for mothers against a potentially life-threatening disease in babies has been approved for use in the UK.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of viral respiratory disease in infants – around 15,000 babies under six months are hospitalised in England every year. This includes cases of bronchiolitis, a disease that causes breathing difficulties and can require ventilation.
The jab, produced by Pfizer, is the first approved for use in pregnant mothers, giving babies greater protection from the moment they’re born.
However, RVS is not only a risk to children. People aged 65 and over, and those with additional health issues or frailties, are particularly susceptible to the disease, which is responsible for an estimated 175,000 GP visits, 14,000 hospital admissions and 8,000 deaths every year.
‘RSV patients often come to hospital in advanced stages of respiratory distress,’ said Professor Beate Kampmann, from The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
‘What starts as coughing and a tight chest can quickly escalate into severe difficulty breathing and emergency care, particularly in babies and older people.
‘The availability of a vaccine represents an opportunity to reduce serious complications of respiratory disease associated with the virus.’
What are the symptoms of RSV?
RSV infection causes symptoms similar to a cold, including:
- rhinitis (runny nose, sneezing or nasal congestion)
- a cough
- A fever
- Ear infections and croup (a barking cough caused by inflammation of the upper airways) can also occur in children.
RSV is the leading cause of bronchiolitis, an infection of the small airways in the lung, in babies and infants which make breathing harder and cause difficulty feeding.
The early symptoms of bronchiolitis are similar to a cold, such as sneezing, a runny or blocked nose, a cough and a slightly high temperature of 38C.
A child with bronchiolitis may then get other symptoms, such as:
- breathing more quickly
- finding it difficult to feed or eat
- noisy breathing (wheezing)
- becoming irritable
Symptoms are usually worst between days three and five, and the cough usually gets better in three weeks.
Call 999 or go to A&E if:
- your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs
- there are pauses when your child breathes
- your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue
- your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake
As a parent, you may know if your child seems seriously unwell and should trust your own judgement.
Source: Gov.uk/NHS
In June, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended the development of an RSV vaccine programme, but in September the government delayed the rollout.
Speaking at the time, experts said this could lead to thousands of babies and infants needing hospital treatment that could otherwise have been avoided – putting significant pressure on the NHS.
While the approval of an additional vaccine won’t ease the burden this winter, with no date yet announced for a rollout, the programme will prevent future hospital admissions.
‘The number of infants seeing GPs or coming into hospital because of RSV infections is already increasing week on week,’ said Dr Ronny Cheung, a consultant paediatrician.
‘The recent arrival of RSV vaccines should herald a new dawn for tackling this pervasive disease and yet, clinicians and parents continue to be frustrated by delays in the implementation of a national RSV immunisation programme.
‘It is imperative that the advice of experts and NHS staff is listened to and a national RSV immunisation programme is implemented promptly. This will avoid the need for so many infants to spend time in hospital and relieve the pressure on children’s intensive care beds, which are often in short supply.
While it may be too late to reduce the impact of RSV for infants, parents and the NHS this winter, we need to ensure that we have a robust prevention plan and systematic solution in place, ready to implement as early as possible in the new year.’
The vaccine has been approved following a Phase 3 clinical trial focusing on the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness in pregnant women.
The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found only mild side effects to the vaccine, most commonly pain at the injection site, headaches and muscle pain.
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