Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for a winter increase in cases of respiratory syncytial virus..

The Department, through its arm’s length bodies, prepares for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) through a combination of surveillance, public health communications, and a targeted immunisation programme.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) monitors weekly levels of RSV and bronchiolitis, a condition associated with RSV in young children. UKHSA also leads public health messaging on social, national, and regional media, highlighting the signs and symptoms of RSV and the steps that can be taken to reduce infections, including reducing risks to babies. In addition, the existing, targeted RSV immunisation programme protects infants who are at high risk of complications if infected.

Work has also been done to ensure high-impact interventions for those with RSV who require medical care, such as expanding the use of Acute Respiratory Infection Hubs across every part of England, where patients can get urgent, same-day, face-to-face assessment for RSV, amongst other respiratory illnesses.