UK Study Shows Maternal RSV Vaccine Cuts Newborn Hospitalizations by Over 80%

A study by the UK Health Security Agency has found that vaccinating pregnant women against respiratory syncytial virus reduces hospitalizations for the infection in newborns by more than 80 percent. The research, presented on April 18, 2026, at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Global conference, analyzed data from nearly 300,000 infants born in England between September 2024 and March 2025, covering about 90 percent of births in that period.

The maternal vaccination program, launched in September 2024, offers the shot to women from 28 weeks of pregnancy. It works by boosting the mother's immune system to pass protective antibodies through the placenta to the baby, providing defense from birth when infants are most vulnerable. Researchers used national health records, including maternity, immunization, hospital admission, and lab data, to compare outcomes for vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Among the cohort, more than 4,500 RSV-related hospitalizations occurred, with the vast majority involving infants whose mothers were not vaccinated.

The study showed 81.3 percent effectiveness in preventing hospital admissions for RSV lower respiratory...