Pregnancy Vaccine Dramatically Reduces Severe Illness in Newborns

The United Kingdom is cutting baby hospital admissions from RSV by more than 80% through a vaccine given during pregnancy, protecting infants from serious early-life infections.

“This can make a big difference to keeping babies safe through the winter,” said Dr Conall Watson, national programme lead for RSV at the UK Health Security Agency.

RSV leads to more than 20,000 hospitalisations of babies each year in the UK, with half of all infants catching the virus in their first months of life. Analysis of nearly 300,000 births found the vaccine provides up to 85% protection when given at least four weeks before birth, with most hospitalised infants born to unvaccinated mothers. Introduced in 2024 and now reaching about 64% of pregnant women in England, the programme offers protection from birth, reducing severe lung infections and easing pressure on healthcare systems.