Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation programme for infants and older adults: JCVI full statement, 11 September 2023

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Top Highlights

• A typical RSV season in the UK starts in October, peaks in December and declines by March.

• A series of meetings of the JCVI RSV subcommittee have taken place in 2023.

• evidence from manufacturers on the efficacy, safety and duration of protection of these immunisation products alongside clinical and epidemiological data on the burden of RSV in infants and older adults

• ensuring high uptake in different population groups

• London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) has been used to inform JCVI’s advice

• Cost effectiveness is a key factor in JCVI’s considerations to ensure that the finite resources of the health service are used to maximise the health of the population.

• there is a significant burden of RSV illness in the UK population

• JCVI advised that a RSV immunisation programme that is cost effective should be developed for both infants and older adults.

• RSV infects up to 90% of children within the first 2 years of life and frequently reinfects older children and adults. For most people, RSV infection causes a mild respiratory illness. Babies under one year of age and the elderly are at the greatest risk of hospitalisation with more severe RSV

• RSV accounts for approximately 33,500 hospitalisations annually in children aged under 5 years old. It is a leading cause of infant mortality globally, resulting in 20 to 30 deaths per year in the UK

• The study aims to improve the understanding of the burden of RSV in infants and young children to provide data to inform future vaccination strategies.

• Modellers at LSHTM developed a large dynamic transition model to try and characterize the transmission of RSV in England and Wales

• An estimate of the burden from a synthesis of published studies was made to calculate quality adjusted life year (QALY) loss for a number of different health outcomes including symptomatic cases, hospital admissions and deaths. Annual estimates for GP hospitalizations and hospital bed days were used to estimate healthcare costs.

• Results indicated RSV infections would account for the following number of infants less than 12 months old receiving the following treatments: nasogastric fluids: 11,000 IV fluids: 3,500 low flow oxygen: 11,000 high flow oxygen: 4,500 CPAP or BiPAP: 1,188 antibiotic prescriptions: 5,725