Latest news with #NHS10Year
South Wales Guardian
5 days ago
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
RSV jab in pregnancy can ‘significantly' cut baby's infection risk, study finds
A team of researchers co-led by the University of Edinburgh said giving pregnant women the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine led to a 72% reduction in babies being hospitalised with the virus. RSV can lead to a severe lung infection called bronchiolitis, which is dangerous in babies and can result in them being admitted to intensive care. It is the main infectious cause of hospitalisation for babies in the UK and globally. The study saw researchers examine 537 babies across England and Scotland who were admitted to hospital with severe respiratory disease in the winter of 2024-25. A total of 391 of the babies tested positive for RSV. The team found mothers of babies who did not have RSV were twice as likely to have received the vaccine before giving birth than the mothers of RSV-positive babies (41% as opposed to 19%). They also found receiving the vaccine more than two weeks before giving birth increased the level of protection, with a 72% reduction in hospital admissions in this group compared with 58% for babies whose mothers were vaccinated at any time prior to delivery. The RSV vaccine was introduced across the UK in the late summer of 2024. The scientists said it works by causing the mother to produce antibodies – proteins which help prevent the virus causing severe infection – which are then passed to the fetus, providing protection from severe RSV for the first six months of their child's life. They recommend women get vaccinated as soon as possible from 28 weeks of pregnancy to provide the best protection, as this allows more time for the mother to generate and pass on protective antibodies to the baby, but the jab can be given up to birth. They also said previous research shows only half of expectant mothers in England and Scotland are currently receiving the RSV vaccine, despite its high success at preventing serious illness. Study lead Dr Thomas Williams, from the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Regeneration and Repair, said: 'With the availability of an effective RSV vaccine shown to significantly reduce the risk of hospitalisation in young infants in the UK, there is an excellent opportunity for pregnant women to get vaccinated and protect themselves and their infants from RSV bronchiolitis this coming winter.' Professor Damian Roland, from the Leicester Hospitals and University and a consultant in paediatric emergency medicine, said: 'Our work highlights the value of vaccination and in keeping with the treatment to prevention principle of the NHS 10 Year plan, we would ask all health care systems to consider how they will optimise the rollout of RSV vaccination for mothers.' The research team was led by the universities of Edinburgh and Leicester, and was funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative, Respiratory Syncytial Virus Consortium in Europe, the Wellcome Trust, and National Institute for Health and Care Research at Imperial College London. The study is published in the journal The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.
Leader Live
5 days ago
- Health
- Leader Live
RSV jab in pregnancy can ‘significantly' cut baby's infection risk, study finds
A team of researchers co-led by the University of Edinburgh said giving pregnant women the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine led to a 72% reduction in babies being hospitalised with the virus. RSV can lead to a severe lung infection called bronchiolitis, which is dangerous in babies and can result in them being admitted to intensive care. It is the main infectious cause of hospitalisation for babies in the UK and globally. The study saw researchers examine 537 babies across England and Scotland who were admitted to hospital with severe respiratory disease in the winter of 2024-25. A total of 391 of the babies tested positive for RSV. The team found mothers of babies who did not have RSV were twice as likely to have received the vaccine before giving birth than the mothers of RSV-positive babies (41% as opposed to 19%). They also found receiving the vaccine more than two weeks before giving birth increased the level of protection, with a 72% reduction in hospital admissions in this group compared with 58% for babies whose mothers were vaccinated at any time prior to delivery. The RSV vaccine was introduced across the UK in the late summer of 2024. The scientists said it works by causing the mother to produce antibodies – proteins which help prevent the virus causing severe infection – which are then passed to the fetus, providing protection from severe RSV for the first six months of their child's life. They recommend women get vaccinated as soon as possible from 28 weeks of pregnancy to provide the best protection, as this allows more time for the mother to generate and pass on protective antibodies to the baby, but the jab can be given up to birth. They also said previous research shows only half of expectant mothers in England and Scotland are currently receiving the RSV vaccine, despite its high success at preventing serious illness. Study lead Dr Thomas Williams, from the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Regeneration and Repair, said: 'With the availability of an effective RSV vaccine shown to significantly reduce the risk of hospitalisation in young infants in the UK, there is an excellent opportunity for pregnant women to get vaccinated and protect themselves and their infants from RSV bronchiolitis this coming winter.' Professor Damian Roland, from the Leicester Hospitals and University and a consultant in paediatric emergency medicine, said: 'Our work highlights the value of vaccination and in keeping with the treatment to prevention principle of the NHS 10 Year plan, we would ask all health care systems to consider how they will optimise the rollout of RSV vaccination for mothers.' The research team was led by the universities of Edinburgh and Leicester, and was funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative, Respiratory Syncytial Virus Consortium in Europe, the Wellcome Trust, and National Institute for Health and Care Research at Imperial College London. The study is published in the journal The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.
North Wales Chronicle
5 days ago
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
RSV jab in pregnancy can ‘significantly' cut baby's infection risk, study finds
A team of researchers co-led by the University of Edinburgh said giving pregnant women the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine led to a 72% reduction in babies being hospitalised with the virus. RSV can lead to a severe lung infection called bronchiolitis, which is dangerous in babies and can result in them being admitted to intensive care. It is the main infectious cause of hospitalisation for babies in the UK and globally. The study saw researchers examine 537 babies across England and Scotland who were admitted to hospital with severe respiratory disease in the winter of 2024-25. A total of 391 of the babies tested positive for RSV. The team found mothers of babies who did not have RSV were twice as likely to have received the vaccine before giving birth than the mothers of RSV-positive babies (41% as opposed to 19%). They also found receiving the vaccine more than two weeks before giving birth increased the level of protection, with a 72% reduction in hospital admissions in this group compared with 58% for babies whose mothers were vaccinated at any time prior to delivery. The RSV vaccine was introduced across the UK in the late summer of 2024. The scientists said it works by causing the mother to produce antibodies – proteins which help prevent the virus causing severe infection – which are then passed to the fetus, providing protection from severe RSV for the first six months of their child's life. They recommend women get vaccinated as soon as possible from 28 weeks of pregnancy to provide the best protection, as this allows more time for the mother to generate and pass on protective antibodies to the baby, but the jab can be given up to birth. They also said previous research shows only half of expectant mothers in England and Scotland are currently receiving the RSV vaccine, despite its high success at preventing serious illness. Study lead Dr Thomas Williams, from the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Regeneration and Repair, said: 'With the availability of an effective RSV vaccine shown to significantly reduce the risk of hospitalisation in young infants in the UK, there is an excellent opportunity for pregnant women to get vaccinated and protect themselves and their infants from RSV bronchiolitis this coming winter.' Professor Damian Roland, from the Leicester Hospitals and University and a consultant in paediatric emergency medicine, said: 'Our work highlights the value of vaccination and in keeping with the treatment to prevention principle of the NHS 10 Year plan, we would ask all health care systems to consider how they will optimise the rollout of RSV vaccination for mothers.' The research team was led by the universities of Edinburgh and Leicester, and was funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative, Respiratory Syncytial Virus Consortium in Europe, the Wellcome Trust, and National Institute for Health and Care Research at Imperial College London. The study is published in the journal The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.
Rhyl Journal
5 days ago
- Health
- Rhyl Journal
RSV jab in pregnancy can ‘significantly' cut baby's infection risk, study finds
A team of researchers co-led by the University of Edinburgh said giving pregnant women the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine led to a 72% reduction in babies being hospitalised with the virus. RSV can lead to a severe lung infection called bronchiolitis, which is dangerous in babies and can result in them being admitted to intensive care. It is the main infectious cause of hospitalisation for babies in the UK and globally. The study saw researchers examine 537 babies across England and Scotland who were admitted to hospital with severe respiratory disease in the winter of 2024-25. A total of 391 of the babies tested positive for RSV. The team found mothers of babies who did not have RSV were twice as likely to have received the vaccine before giving birth than the mothers of RSV-positive babies (41% as opposed to 19%). They also found receiving the vaccine more than two weeks before giving birth increased the level of protection, with a 72% reduction in hospital admissions in this group compared with 58% for babies whose mothers were vaccinated at any time prior to delivery. The RSV vaccine was introduced across the UK in the late summer of 2024. The scientists said it works by causing the mother to produce antibodies – proteins which help prevent the virus causing severe infection – which are then passed to the fetus, providing protection from severe RSV for the first six months of their child's life. They recommend women get vaccinated as soon as possible from 28 weeks of pregnancy to provide the best protection, as this allows more time for the mother to generate and pass on protective antibodies to the baby, but the jab can be given up to birth. They also said previous research shows only half of expectant mothers in England and Scotland are currently receiving the RSV vaccine, despite its high success at preventing serious illness. Study lead Dr Thomas Williams, from the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Regeneration and Repair, said: 'With the availability of an effective RSV vaccine shown to significantly reduce the risk of hospitalisation in young infants in the UK, there is an excellent opportunity for pregnant women to get vaccinated and protect themselves and their infants from RSV bronchiolitis this coming winter.' Professor Damian Roland, from the Leicester Hospitals and University and a consultant in paediatric emergency medicine, said: 'Our work highlights the value of vaccination and in keeping with the treatment to prevention principle of the NHS 10 Year plan, we would ask all health care systems to consider how they will optimise the rollout of RSV vaccination for mothers.' The research team was led by the universities of Edinburgh and Leicester, and was funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative, Respiratory Syncytial Virus Consortium in Europe, the Wellcome Trust, and National Institute for Health and Care Research at Imperial College London. The study is published in the journal The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
International Day of Women and Girls in Science marks tenth year
A global movement celebrating women in science marks its tenth anniversary in 2025. Established by the United Nations, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is celebrated on February 11 each year. It promotes equal access and participation for women and girls in the field. At Scarborough, Hull and York Pathology Service (SHYPS), nearly 70 per cent of the more than 550 scientists are women. The day acknowledges the critical role of women as leaders in science and emphasises the importance of inspiring young girls to pursue scientific careers through education. Joanna Andrew, the network lead for blood sciences, began her career in 1992 as a medical laboratory assistant. She moved to York in 1998 and has successfully progressed in her career to now manage the blood sciences departments across SHYPS, with laboratories processing more than 10,000 patient samples daily. Ms Andrew was elected as president of the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) in 2024, with one of her key goals being to increase the visibility of her profession. She has personally helped younger scientists to professionally develop. She said: "It's important we mark ten years of International Day of Women and Girls in Science. "I'm very proud of women in the workforce who have progressed in their careers." York St John University graduate Ella Wharram works in the laboratories at York Hospital. Now a biomedical scientist in microbiology, Ms Wharram has described how her route to being appointed wasn't as straightforward as she hoped, after struggling with A level grades. Reflecting on her career, she said: "My academic path wasn't easy, but I found my way back to science. "Initially, I wanted to be a midwife but realised I was more drawn to the investigative side of microbiology. "I love the detective-like nature of my work, interpreting complex results and solving medical puzzles. "After school, I worked in a pharmacy to get the clinical knowledge required; I then decided to go back to college. "If any young girl reads this, who is considering a career in science, I'd love them to know there are different ways of achieving it - go for it!" As part of the NHS 10 Year plan, Ms Andrew regularly presents to conferences across the country; she also attends award ceremonies such as the IBMS awards, where she networks with women scientists.
