UK health officials say that a vaccine given to pregnant women that protects newborns from bad chest infections is cutting the number of babies who need to go to the hospital by more than 80%.
A virus called RSV affects a lot of babies in their first few months of life. It can make them gasp for breath and make it hard for them to eat. Every year in the UK, more than 20,000 babies get very sick and have to go to the hospital.
Women have been able to get a vaccine to protect their newborns since 2024, starting at 28 weeks of pregnancy.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says that a new study that looked at the vaccine’s effects shows that it gives babies “excellent protection” when they are most at risk of getting RSV.
One of the main reasons babies under one year old go to the hospital is because of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).
Half of all newborns get the virus, which can cause anything from a mild cold to a serious chest infection that can kill them because it makes their lungs swell. Every year, a small number of people die from it.
Dr. Conall Watson, who leads the UK’s Healthy Security Agency’s RSV program, said that when babies have bad infections, you can see their chest and lungs working hard to get enough oxygen. “This is very, very frightening as a parent, and for good reason,” he said.
Mother asks for RSV vaccine after baby dies from virus
In 2024, the UK got a new vaccine. Clinical trials showed that it could strengthen a pregnant woman’s immune system enough to protect the baby through the placenta.
This means that babies born to vaccinated women are safe from the moment they are born.
According to this new study, the protection is almost 85% when given at least four weeks before the baby is born. If the shot is given later than this, it is still possible to get some protection.
The study shows that even a two-week gap between vaccination and birth can be long enough to protect babies born a little early. Dr. Watson says, “If you’ve got a longer interval between when the vaccine gets given and when baby is born, then you get even better protection.” “Get it on time.” But if you can’t, get vaccinated all the way through the third trimester.
The study looked at almost 300,000 babies born in England between September 2024 and March 2025. This was about 90% of all births during that time.
More than 4,500 babies had to go to the hospital. Most of them were babies whose mothers had not gotten the RSV vaccine.
Laine Lewis’s son Malachi, who is now 12 years old, didn’t get the vaccine in time. He got a cold as a baby that got so bad that he had to go to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with RSV and put on oxygen. Malachi stopped breathing later, and a scan soon after showed that his brain was damaged.
His mum has said that it’s important for his story “not to scare people” because what happened to Malachi was very rare.
But she also said, “I’d tell people to get the RSV vaccine because it will help their child.”
Dr. Watson said that the vaccine could “make a big difference in keeping babies safe” during the winter.
“I would strongly suggest that any pregnant woman talk to their midwife and other health professionals about it and be ready to get the vaccine at their week 28 appointment or another appointment soon after that.”
The most recent numbers show that about 64% of pregnant women in England are getting the RSV vaccine. However, only 53% of pregnant women in London are getting it.
It is also a good idea to get the flu and whooping cough vaccines while pregnant.
The RSV vaccine is also available to adults 75 and older or who live in a care home for older adults in the UK.
