STORY
Intensive care admissions among babies under six months with respiratory syncytial virus fell by around 50% during the first full winter of the NHS maternal RSV vaccination programme, according to the UK Health Security Agency. Twenty NHS trusts participating in surveillance recorded 63 admissions to intensive care or high dependency units in 2025 to 2026, compared with 131 the previous winter.
The maternal vaccination programme began in September 2024 and is offered from 28 weeks of pregnancy to provide protection to newborn babies. UKHSA said 61.7% of women giving birth between March 2025 and February 2026 had received an RSV vaccine. Peak weekly attendances at accident and emergency departments for infant bronchiolitis were also lower and the peak season was shorter than in previous years.
UKHSA said an earlier study found the maternal vaccine provided more than 80% protection against hospital admission for newborn babies. The annual report also found that 65% of eligible older adults had received an RSV vaccination by the end of May, with hospitalisation rates among eligible adults aged 75 to 80 reduced by more than 40%.