The new jab pregnant women are being urged to get for 'dangerous' virus that can put infants in intensive care

Pregnant women and the elderly are being urged to come forward for a jab that will become available in Greater Manchester next month.

NHS Greater Manchester is urging every eligible person in the city region, to get the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine when it becomes available from September 1. Pregnant women and elderly adults in Greater Manchester will be encouraged to get the new free RSV jab in what will be a new, national, year-round programme.

RSV is a major cause of respiratory illness and is particularly dangerous for infants and the elderly. The virus can lead to bronchiolitis and pneumonia which require hospitalisation and even intensive care in severe cases.

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The jab is already licensed for use as a maternal vaccination in the United States, where over 100,000 doses have been given to pregnant women so far since their programme started in September 2023, NHS Greater Manchester health chiefs have said. The jab has also been used in several European countries, Argentina, Australia, Canada and Japan.

The RSV vaccination programme is being introduced in England with the aim of protecting the most vulnerable against its affects.

Those eligible for the year-round on-going roll out include pregnant women over 28 weeks to help protect their newborn babies, those who are turning 75 on or after September 2 2024, and a one-off catch-up campaign for anyone aged 75-79 years old who will remain eligible until the day before their 80^th birthday. With the exception that those who turn 80 within the first year of the programme will remain eligible until August 31, 2025.

Dr Helen Wall, Clinical Director for Population Health at