British women who have lost their newborn babies to a deadly lung disease have called on expectant mothers to get a vaccine to protect them against it.
As part of a new NHS service, pregnant women over 28 weeks and those aged 75 to 79 can now be routinely vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) for the first time.
RSV is responsible for between 20 and 30 child deaths each year in Britain. Last year also saw an 11 per cent increase in cases compared with the previous winter.
And mothers have spoken of their pain. One lost her three-month-old baby just weeks after contracting the common respiratory illness.
Rumer was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that made her more vulnerable to infections such as RSV. She died at just three months old. Image: rumersrainbow.co.uk
Ethyan Gammage, from Larkhall in Lanarkshire, suddenly came down with a cold and a cough on July 12. After a doctor checked him over and confirmed his stats were fine, they returned home. But by 3pm that same day, his breathing had become irregular.
Another person shared how their healthy two-week-old baby turned “cold and grey” in a matter of days.
However, the implementation of the vaccines is said to prevent 15,000 emergency room visits among infants and 5,000 hospital admissions per season, according to a recent analysis.
A mother whose baby died after contracting RSV said that anyone who has been through The time he spends in intensive care over the winter “will definitely require the RSV vaccine.”
Three-month-old Rumer was born with Edwards syndrome, a rare genetic disorder also known as trisomy 18.
But he died at three months old in 2015, after contracting the virus.
Edwards syndrome occurs when a baby has three copies of chromosome number 18, instead of the usual two, which severely disrupts its development.
After two stable nights in hospital, his body began to struggle to continue fighting off the infection. At the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, he was put into an induced coma and put on a ventilator in the NICU.
The disease is believed to affect between one in every 6,000 and 8,000 births worldwide.
Helen Roper, Rumer’s mother, who now lives in Newport, told the BBC: “The vaccine protects all babies, but it saves the lives of those who have significant underlying conditions.
‘(Rumer) wasn’t the only child with significant underlying conditions who died that season.
‘With his lungs already compromised, he probably wasn’t going to live a long, healthy life, but he might have lived a year.
“The vaccine protects all babies, but saves the lives of those with significant underlying conditions.”
However, Ethyan Gammage, from Larkhall in Lanarkshire, had no underlying health conditions.
Despite being born six weeks premature, she appeared to be in good health until she came down with a cold and cough on July 12 this year.
After a doctor checked him over and confirmed his statistics were correct, the family returned home. But by 3 p.m. that same day, his breathing had become irregular.
Panicking, her mother Fiona Walker, 41, and father Mark Gammage, 44, called 999, with paramedics arriving 17 minutes later.
Panicking, her mother Fiona Walker (pictured), 41, and father Mark Gammage, 44, called 999, with paramedics arriving 17 minutes later.
However, during this time, the little one had become numb and was “cold and grey.”
Paramedics administered oxygen at home before transferring Ethyan to University Hospital Wishaw.
There he was diagnosed with bronchiolitis, caused by RSV. After two stable nights in the hospital, his body began to struggle to continue fighting off the infection.
At the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow he was put into an induced coma and on a ventilator in the NICU.
Ethyan lives in Scotland, where he began vaccinating pregnant women against the virus in August this year.
But because she was born six weeks premature, she missed her due date.
Pub landlady Mrs Walker said: ‘I had never heard of RSV before Ethyan caught it.
‘Now I keep an eye on it and I constantly put my hand on it to check that it is warm because I remember how cold it felt.
‘It has completely traumatized us.
‘I want to raise awareness about RSV and the vaccine because I would never want any other mother to go through what I went through.
“I have a phobia of needles, but I would still get vaccinated, and so should everyone else.”
After three days, Ethyan began to breathe on his own a few times, and his rate increased each day as he grew stronger.
According to the health service, the vaccine is offered to people aged between 75 and 79, as well as pregnant women after 28 weeks, in an attempt to protect young children.
She was finally bottle-fed again and was discharged on July 22.
Ms Walker said that since the scare, Ethyan has been “absolutely perfect” but both she and Mr Gammage have been left with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
RSV is a common cause of coughs and colds, and while it is a mild illness for most healthy people who experience cold-like symptoms, the infection can be dangerous for the elderly and very young children.
Paramedics gave him oxygen at home before taking Ethyan to University Hospital Wishaw, where he was diagnosed with bronchiolitis, caused by RSV.
It spreads through large droplets and the virus can survive on surfaces for up to seven hours.
Once inside the body, it can cause serious infections and respiratory complications such as pneumonia.
The virus is also thought to contribute to deaths in older people, as its impact on the lungs reduces the amount of oxygen supplied to the body, causing heart failure.
The NHS vaccine rollout is part of its winter vaccination plans, which also include COVID and flu vaccines.
As in previous years, people belonging to vulnerable groups and the staff who care for them will be eligible to receive these vaccines.
While people can receive the flu and COVID-19 vaccines on the same day, those who are also eligible to receive the RSV vaccine should wait at least one day between injections to maximize its effectiveness.
While preventing serious RSV infections is a benefit in itself, health chiefs also hope the vaccines will reduce winter pressures on NHS services more broadly.
People who are eligible to receive the RSV vaccine are expected to be invited through their GP or, in the case of pregnant women, potentially their midwife.
