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The UK has reported a significant decrease in the number of infants admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) due to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections during the winter of 2025/2026. According to data from the UK Health Security Agency, only 63 infants under six months were hospitalized with confirmed RSV infections, marking a 52 percent reduction from 131 admissions in the previous winter.
This decline in ICU admissions follows the implementation of a maternal RSV vaccination program, which began in September 2024. The program is designed to protect newborns by allowing pregnant women to receive the vaccine, thereby transferring protective antibodies to their babies before birth. The 2025/2026 winter marked the first full-year evaluation of the program’s impact on infant hospitalizations.
During the year from March 2025 to February 2026, the uptake of the RSV vaccine among pregnant women reached 61.7 percent. While this represents a strong initial outcome, it also indicates that nearly four in ten pregnant women did not receive the vaccine, leaving thousands of newborns vulnerable to RSV each winter.
The importance of tracking severe cases, such as ICU admissions, lies in their ability to reflect the true severity of RSV, which is the leading cause of infant hospitalization within the first year of life. Although most infants recover from the virus, those under six months, particularly preterm babies, are at a higher risk of developing serious complications. The maternal vaccination does not prevent RSV infections entirely but significantly reduces the likelihood of severe illness in newborns by providing them with maternal antibodies.
The results of the maternal RSV vaccination program highlight the potential for further improvements in public health initiatives aimed at safeguarding vulnerable infant populations. Continued efforts to increase vaccination rates among pregnant women are essential to ensure a larger proportion of newborns are protected from severe RSV infections in future winters.
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