Respiratory syncytial virus affects the chest and lungs, and can cause very serious illness for young children
From September 2024, an RSV vaccine will be offered to all women who are 28 or more weeks pregnant. This vaccine will help to protect your newborn baby from RSV when they at their most vulnerable to the virus.
The health board will write to you to offer you an appointment to receive the vaccine at one of our vaccination clinics, or may contact you by phone to arrange an appointment with you.
If you give birth during September without having had the vaccine during pregnancy, our team may still offer you the RSV vaccine following birth. This will help to give some protection to your new baby by reducing the chances of the virus being passed on to them.
If you have any questions about your RSV vaccine, please speak to your community midwife or (if you are on one of our maternity units) to a midwife. If you have not received or need to change an appointment, please call our RSV Vaccination Contact Line on 03000 846789.
The vaccine has been fully tested and trialled and is safe and effective for you and your baby. It is already in use in countries around the world, and has been shown to significantly reduce the number of hospital admissions related to RSV among young children.
Please take up the offer to protect yourself and your unborn child from the risk of serious illness caused by RSV.
To help protect themselves and their unborn babies from complications and serious illness, women will also be offered vaccination against pertussis (whooping cough), and a seasonal flu and COVID-19 booster vaccine during their pregnancy.
If you have not already received these vaccines during your pregnancy, they may be offered at your RSV vaccination appointment.