Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all infants born pre-term or those with pre-existing conditions that put them at higher risk are offered protection via immunisation from respiratory syncytial virus.

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme to protect newborn infants, via maternal vaccination, was introduced in England in September 2024, in line with independent expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The National Health Service has also offered high-risk eligible infants a monoclonal antibody called palivizumab over the RSV season since 2010, and continues to do so. Palivizumab is typically reserved for premature infants with specific major underlying medical conditions.

In February 2023, the JCVI advised that existing infant risk groups eligible for RSV monoclonal antibody immunisation should preferentially be protected with nirsevimab over palivizumab. In October 2024, the committee supported work being taken forward for a monoclonal antibody programme to protect all very/extremely premature infants, ideally from 2025/26.

To date it has not been possible for the NHS to obtain a supply of nirsevimab for the monoclonal antibody programme. We are exploring all options to ensure there is effective protection against severe RSV illness for these high-risk groups.