The NHS is urging newly eligible pregnant mothers that “now is the time to act” and get the RSV vaccine to protect their baby ahead of this winter.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of infant mortality around the world and a main cause of child hospitalisations every year – with almost 7,000 bed days taken up by children with RSV last winter in England (6,815 from 25 November 2024 – 30 March 2025).
The Australian winter is often a good predictor of how viruses will spread in England and, following the highest number of RSV cases on record last year in Australia, cases have been steadily increasing since the start of 2025 in many areas, with almost half of RSV cases in children aged 0 to 4 years.
Dr Eleanor Powers, Head of Public Health Commissioning (Immunisation) for NHS England – East of England is today urging eligible pregnant women from 28 weeks to speak to their maternity services about getting vaccinated to ensure their babies are protected ahead of their first winter months.
Dr Eleanor Powers, Head of Public Health Commissioning (Immunisation) for NHS England – East of England, said: “RSV can be a really serious respiratory illness for babies, with bronchiolitis and serious lung infections potentially caused by RSV. Getting vaccinated while pregnant is the best and safest way to protect your baby from the moment they are born. Act now, to make sure your baby is protected ahead of their first few months this winter, when there tend to be more bugs circulating.
“NHS staff from across the East of England have worked together to make it as easy as possible to get the jab – community vaccination teams will be contacting mums-to-be to invite them to book an appointment for their vaccine, GP practices will be offering it to pregnant women, and for those in Suffolk and Essex, some community pharmacies will also offer the vaccine.”
The RSV vaccine was offered to pregnant women in England for the first time last September and has now helped to protect more than 300,000 mothers and babies nationally and more than 35,000 in the East of England.
Pregnant mums from 28 weeks onwards can access the RSV jab through their maternity services or via their local GP practice.
New research from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has found the RSV vaccine is around 82% effective in preventing older people being hospitalised with an RSV infection, and another study by NHS paediatricians found that the maternal vaccine is 72% effective in preventing hospitalisation for newborns whose mothers are vaccinated more than 14 days before delivery.
Around 100 community pharmacies in the East of England and the Midlands are also now delivering the RSV vaccine, with NHS England planning to expand this offer to up to 150 additional pharmacies across the country, focusing on areas where access is limited to make it as easy as possible for eligible people to receive their jabs.
Many of the additional community pharmacy sites will also be offering the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine to eligible pregnant women, helping to improve uptake and free up GP appointments each year. Older adults aged 75 to 79 years old are also eligible, and across the coming weeks NHS England will send invites to over one million people via letter, text, email or NHS App notifications, to remind those eligible to come forward.
The East of England’s lead pharmacy advisor for vaccinations, Sarah Cavanagh, said: “RSV is serious for older people too and it’s great news that it’s even easier for many in the region to get protected quickly at their local pharmacy. While RSV infections can occur all year round, cases usually peak in winter, so it’s important that if you are eligible that you take up your NHS offer with your GP or with a participating pharmacy as soon as possible.
“Booking your vaccinations helps the NHS to protect the lives of the most vulnerable and at-risk groups and eases pressure across the NHS over the busy winter months.”
Vaccinations to protect against flu and whooping cough are also recommended to women during pregnancy to further protect the health of the mother and their baby. Parents should also ensure their children are up to date with their routine NHS vaccinations to protect against infections including HPV, meningitis and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). For children and young adults up to 25 years old, please speak to your GP about catch-up vaccination options.