The UK will become the first country in the world to have a national respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation programme that uses the same vaccine to protect newborns and older people.
Pregnant women over 28 weeks and people aged 75 to 79 will be eligible from the 1 September in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 12 August in Scotland.
It follows advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on targeting vaccination to the groups at greatest risk.
There will be a one-off campaign for 75-79-year-olds followed by a routine programme when people turn 75.
Each year in the UK, RSV accounts for around 30,000 hospitalisations in children aged under 5 and is responsible for 20 to 30 infant deaths.
It also causes around 9,000 hospital admissions in those aged over 75 and it is hoped the RSV vaccination programme could ease winter pressures on the NHS.
The letter set out that the vaccine to be used for the campaign is the bivalent recombinant vaccine developed by Pfizer called Abrysvo, which was licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in November last year.
Pregnant women are being asked to speak to their GP or maternity service to access the vaccine.
In one trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year, the Pfizer RSV vaccine given during pregnancy was shown to be effective against severe RSV-associated lower respiratory tract illness in infants up to six months old.
And in a second trial, the vaccine prevented RSV-associated lower respiratory tract illness and RSV-associated acute respiratory illness in adults over 60 years of age.
Andrew Gwynne, minister for public health and prevention, said he had seen the devastating effects of RSV firsthand.
‘My own grandson contracted RSV when he was just days old, leading to weeks in intensive care and a lifelong impact on his health. I don’t want anyone to go through what he went through.
‘Not only will this vaccine save lives and protect the most vulnerable, it will help ease pressure on our broken NHS, freeing up thousands of hospital beds as we head into winter.’
Steve Russell, NHS national director for vaccinations and screening, said: ‘RSV is a very serious illness, infecting up to 90% of children by the age of 2 and causing thousands of babies and older people to spend time in hospital over winter – so this rollout is a huge step forward and will undoubtedly save the lives of many of those most at risk.’
Dr Mike McKean, vice-president for policy at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said they were delighted that the immunisation programme was beginning.
‘Campaigning for an RSV vaccine has been a key issue for the College for many years now and today’s announcement represents a huge step forward for child health.
‘This newly announced programme has the potential to transform child health services during the winter months by reducing hospital admissions and could even save young lives.
‘A reduction in RSV cases annually would allow us to focus on the many other children and young people requiring emergency care over winter months.’
