RSV Vaccination
You can get a free RSV vaccination on the NHS if:
- you’re 28 weeks pregnant or more – the vaccine is recommended during every pregnancy to help protect your baby after they’re born
- you’re aged 75 or over
- you live in a care home for older adults
RSV is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs. RSV infection often causes symptoms similar to a cold, including:
- cough
- sore throat
- sneezing
- a runny or blocked nose
It can also make you become wheezy or short of breath and lead to pneumonia and other life-threatening conditions. There is no specific treatment, and most infections will get better by themselves. Every year thousands of older adults need hospital care for RSV, and some of them will die. RSV can be more severe in people with medical conditions such as heart or lung disease or a weakened immune system.
