Maternal RSV vaccination protects infants, but uptake remains unequal
Review highlights protection benefits and gaps in vaccine coverage
A review led by the Universities of Edinburgh and Granada estimates that maternal RSV vaccination reduces infants’ RSV-related hospitalisation risk by around 74%. Published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, it combined 16 studies covering more than four million pregnancies during 2023–2025.
Uptake was lower among some socioeconomic and ethnic groups, younger mothers and those with reduced healthcare access. During the review period, coverage peaked at 62% in Scotland in October 2025 and 58% in England in August 2025.
Safety evidence from more than 16,000 pregnancies found no increased preterm-birth risk among those vaccinated at 32–35 weeks, rather than establishing safety at every gestational stage.
Why this matters for policymakers
- Equity Monitor coverage by deprivation and ethnicity.
- Access Assess barriers within antenatal vaccination services.
- Evidence Maintain surveillance of infant outcomes and vaccine safety.
Image: Illustrative photograph of a mother and newborn baby in Moscow; not participants in the reported vaccination research. Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0. Resized and converted to JPEG for display.