Almost 7,000 bed days were taken up by children with RSV last winter in England (6,815 from 25 November 2024 – 30 March 2025). 

Kate Brintworth, chief midwifery officer for NHS England, said: ‘Getting vaccinated while pregnant is the best way to protect your baby from the moment they are born, and now is the time for mums to act, to make sure their babies are protected ahead of their first few months this winter, when there tends to be more bugs circulating.'

Australia, which is taken a good predictor of how viruses will spread in England, has seen cases steadily increasing since the start of 2025 in many areas, with almost half of RSV cases in children aged 0 to 4 years. 

The RSV vaccine was offered to pregnant women in England for the first time last September and has helped to protect more than 300,000 mothers and babies.

NHS staff have delivered more than 2m RSV vaccinations to eligible people.

Pregnant mums from 28 weeks onwards can access the RSV jab through their maternity services or via their local GP practice. 

Older adults aged 75 to 79 years old are also eligible, and across the coming weeks NHS England will send invites to over 1m people via letter, text, email or NHS App notifications, to remind those eligible to come forward.