Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination Programme
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Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the respiratory syncytial virus vaccination programme in ensuring all infants receive an equitable offer of protection from the virus.
Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Lab)
My Lords, first, I thank the Minister for being present to respond to this debate; the noble Lord, Lord Kamall, on the Opposition Benches, who used to be the Minister responding to my questions and debates on these issues; and the Government Whip, who also used to respond to some of my questions.
RSV is a major public health threat, and vaccination is a key tool to combat the risk to infants. Each year, thousands of infants and older adults are hospitalised, causing pain and distress to families and significant costs to the NHS and productivity. Vaccination against respiratory syncytial virus is proven to significantly reduce the risk of RSV-related lower respiratory illness and to minimise potential disease progression and complications.
The UK was one of the first countries in the world to recommend and implement a maternal and adult national immunisation programme when it was rolled out across the nations and regions in September last year. The two programmes have been widely hailed as significant successes, both achieving higher than expected uptake. The RSV vaccine has been offered to pregnant women in England since September 2024 to address the significant burden of RSV-related illness, hospitalisations and deaths, particularly among infants under six months of age and older adults who are at increased risk.
The latest government data for RSV vaccine coverage of pregnant women in England is encouraging. Of the 37,328 women reported as having given birth in the survey month of April 2025, 54% had received the vaccine. The highest coverage was reported in the south-east, with 63.4%, and the lowest in London, with 44.8%. Coverage also varied by ethnic group: the highest coverage was reported among the “other ethnic groups— Chinese”, with 70.6%, and the lowest was among the “Black of Black British-Caribbean” category, with 25.6%.
The UK’s maternal RSV vaccination programme is already delivering positive results for patients and the health system, supported by emerging real-world data from other countries. Recent UK data published on the immediate impact of RSV vaccination is very encouraging, both for the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing sickness and in alleviating hospital pressures—a key priority for the Government and the health system.
A preprint study from Public Health Scotland reported vaccine effectiveness against RSV-associated hospitalisation of 82.91%, averting an estimated 228 cases of RSV-related LRTI hospitalisation in infants aged greater than 90 days. Estimates from the BronchStop clinical research group highlight vaccine effectiveness of 72% against RSV-associated hospitalisation for infants whose mothers were vaccinated more than 14 days before delivery.
It is interesting to note the positive data from Argentina. Alongside the UK, it was one of the first countries to roll out the programme. This data adds further weight to the benefit of maternal vaccination against RSV, with similarly positive effectiveness against severe disease, hospitalisation and deaths.
The analysis estimates that just over £14 million of the £80 million annual cost is due to productivity losses and about £1.5 million to out-of-pocket costs incurred by parents or carers. The remaining £65 million is healthcare costs, including 467,230 GP visits and 33,937 hospitalisations per year in the UK for children aged under five with RSV.
The data on the impact of the older adult programme is also positive, highlighting the benefit to individuals, the NHS and the economy. The burden of RSV in older adults is equally significant. Each year in the UK there are approximately 3.6 million cases of RSV in adults, leading to an estimated 600,000 GP visits, 460,000 NHS 111 calls and 24,000 hospitalisations. The annual cost to the NHS of looking after adult patients with RSV is considerable.
The early data from the RSV programme is positive but now is a critical time to focus on uptake across all vaccine programmes to help reverse the trend in declining uptake. Although these very early successes must be celebrated, they also must be set against the background of a concerning dip in uptake across many other childhood and adult vaccination programmes, an issue already identified by the Royal College of Paediatrics.
Therefore, we should be reinforcing our shared public health goal of continuing to ensure vaccinations are widely available and doubling down on efforts to ensure they reach everyone. I was deeply concerned at the weekend to learn that there was a doctor from the United States speaking at the Reform conference, denying and decrying vaccinations and vaccines, which I thought was totally irresponsible.
The gap in uptake between the highest and lowest geographical areas in the UK for maternal RSV, and the significant differences in coverage by ethnic group, highlight the urgent need to improve uptake where it falls well below expectations. Extra care and attention must also be given to those who may have valid questions about vaccination, particularly newer vaccines. According to the latest UKHSA figures, none of the main maternal and childhood vaccines in England reached the WHO target of 95% in 2024-25.
This follows hard on the heels of findings published recently that showed one in five children will start primary school without protection against diseases like measles, mumps and rubella. In response to questions about the worrying fall in uptake across vaccine programmes, Minister Dalton cited a lack of access as a key challenge preventing eligible people taking up vaccines; that was considered to be one of the impediments. The ambition of the 10-year plan to enable healthcare to be delivered closer to where people live can only be a good thing for vaccine uptake, particularly if this means vaccination can be delivered across a range of settings, from GP practices to pharmacies, and via midwives for maternal vaccination programmes such as RSV, which is fast becoming an exemplar case.
As we approach a year since the launch of the RSV programme, we must continue to ensure uptake improves to support public health, help minimise the burden on our health system and to minimise the financial impact on parents, carers and employers. In this regard, I am very concerned that there is an equitable distribution and an equitable accessibility to those vaccines for all parents, particularly with infants.
Therefore, I have certain questions for the Minister. First, what steps are the Government taking to ensure that all infants are able to access protection going into their first winter respiratory season, including those who were born too early for maternal antibodies to transfer and infants whose mothers choose to not participate in the maternal vaccination programme?
Secondly, what steps are the Government and the NHS taking to avoid exacerbating inequalities by reducing the current variation in uptake of the maternal vaccination programme across regions and ethnic groups? Finally, will my noble friend the Minister commit to ensuring that comprehensive real world data is systematically collected and analysed from the maternal RSV programme, and will she outline the steps that the department will take to use this evidence when shaping future health policy and immunisation strategies?
I would like to thank the Minister for being here this evening to respond. I look forward to her answers and an update on accessibility and—shall we say—equal accessibility to those RSV vaccines for children and infants throughout the UK.
Lord Mott (Con)
My Lords, it is an honour to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie, in this important debate this evening. Summer is only just behind us, yet I have no doubt that minds of NHS leaders will already be turning to how to deal with winter pressures. The NHS has always faced challenges in winter but, before the pandemic, only around one in 500 patients waited for more than 12 hours for emergency admission during the winter peak. Since then, the numbers have already risen sharply, with January 2025 seeing a record high of more than one in 10 patients—11.21%—waiting for more than 12 hours.
Seasonal illnesses, of which RSV is one example, have played a significant role in increasing this strain. RSV accounts for over 33,000 children under five and 24,000 adults admitted to hospital each year. That is why I welcome the decision to launch a new vaccination programme against RSV—announced by the previous Conservative Government in June 2024 and supported by the current Government since—to protect mums, their infants and older adults.
I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie, for securing this important debate today. It is hugely important, and her work has led me to take part in this debate this evening, because, for all the positives about the introduction of the new vaccination programme, we are seeing very substantial variations in take-up across different regions and ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. For example, as already mentioned, coverage in the east of England is almost 10% lower than in the south-east, and coverage in London is even lower. I hope that the Minister will be able to update the House on what is being done to address this.
More broadly, there continues to be misinformation about vaccines and their safety, not least with wild claims being made from some political parties about vaccines over the last few days, which I will not repeat here. I am a strong defender of free speech, but misleading people can be very dangerous, and we need to ensure people have access to credible information when making decisions about their own health. I also hope the Minister can update on what more can be done to ensure patients are receiving high-quality and factual information that addresses risks and benefits, so that we can see a wider take-up of not just the RSV vaccine but vaccine programmes more widely.
In closing, it is incumbent upon us to recognise that awareness is not a passive state but a catalyst for principled action. The recent rollout of the maternal RSV immunisation programme, while a welcome development, reveals concerning disparities in uptake. As of May 2025, only 42.8% of women giving birth in England had received the RSV vaccine prior to delivery, with regional variation, and with lower figures reported in Wales. These numbers underscore the urgent need to strengthen public engagement, improve access and ensure that every infant, regardless of geography or circumstance, is afforded equitable protection. I am certain that the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie, will continue to scrutinise, to question and, above all, to advocate; she has a new voice to support her.
Lord Rennard (LD)
My Lords, I, too, congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie of Downpatrick, on securing this important debate. We have heard from her about the need to ensure that all infants receive an equitable offer of protection from the respiratory syncytial virus, and that the maternal RSV vaccination programme is fairly new, having been introduced in Scotland in August 2024 and in England in September 2024. It is important now, therefore, to monitor its uptake in detail and to assess the protection that it gives.
We are grateful, therefore, to the UK Health Security Agency—UKHSA—for the monitoring undertaken so far, which has already provided vital insights. From this, we are encouraged to see that the level of vaccine uptake has increased, month on month, since its first implementation. For England, the UKHSA’s first annual report on the programme, published in July, showed that 42.8% of all women who had given birth in the six months after 1 September had received an RSV vaccine prior to delivery. Progress is being made, because, for the month of April alone, the figure reached 54%, with most regions showing a pattern of increasing monthly uptake.
However, as we have heard, there were significant differences in uptake in different commissioning regions and among different ethnic groups. For the month of April this year, the UKHSA reported that the highest coverage of the vaccine was in the south-east of England, at 63.4%, while the London commissioning region reported the lowest level of coverage, at 44.8%. For the Midlands, the coverage was 51.3%. The variation across ethnic groups was much wider. The “Other ethnic groups—Chinese” category showed the highest coverage, at 70.6%, while the “Black or Black British—Caribbean” category reported the lowest level of coverage, at just 25.6%. Greater efforts must therefore be made to improve take-up of the vaccine, and they must be targeted effectively.
Will the Minister let us know more about how the Government will help to address the disparity in coverage by region and ethnicity? The figure for “Black or Black British—Caribbean” is alarmingly low. Can the Minister tell us whether any research has been undertaken to see if there is a difference between the point in pregnancy at which people of different ethnicities present themselves to GPs or midwives? What may be the cultural differences or barriers relating to access? Is there an issue about less time being available for a working mother as opposed to one not in employment? The vaccination is most effective when offered around the 28-week antenatal appointment, or within a few weeks of this, to provide babies with the best protection for their first six months of life. Those who present late may be less protected even if they ultimately receive the jab.
I am aware that the UKHSA is planning further investigations. Can we know whether such crucial questions are being looked into? We know that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention, Ashley Dalton, has stated that UKHSA monitoring is a “key tool”. She promised that an update to the UKHSA’s immunisation equity strategy is “forthcoming” to ensure equitable access, but could we possibly know when? Meanwhile, the production of RSV antenatal vaccine information leaflets in over 30 languages and in various formats is a very positive step.
Significant issues about the vaccination rollout have been raised by the Royal College of Midwives. Clare Livingstone of the RCN noted in January that midwives had more work to do to respond to concerns and questions around vaccinations. She acknowledged that it was not always possible for midwives to provide all the information, reassurance and support needed, often due to lack of time to discuss each vaccine in detail. The RCM has suggested that there are more challenges about these issues in some regions than in others. We need to know if that is because of staff vacancies, which may vary by region, or because of the number of patients on each midwife’s list, or both factors, as these issues are obviously connected.
There is an urgent need to recruit more midwives. Some midwives have raised concerns about workforce capacity and training availability. Some maternity services face considerable challenges in implementation, and they are being required to send women to their GPs instead. The Royal College’s previous calls about having the right staff in the right place, with the right education and training, must be heeded. Training materials, including webinars for midwives and patient-facing publications, have been made available in collaboration with the UKHSA and NHS England. Will these now be updated in the light of the questions that are being asked over the first year of the programme?
We need to know if there is any link between hesitation about having the RSV jab and hesitation about having other jabs, such as the Covid and MMR vaccinations. Much seriously damaging misinformation has been circulated about vaccinations, including very recently, and we all, in responsible parties, need to help to counter it.
Eligibility for the RSV vaccination is an issue. NHS England has acted on the recommendation of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. This was based on safety, efficacy, cost and how many people of different groups become really ill with the virus. Initially, the programme is for pregnant women, preferably around the 28th week for maximum efficacy, and for older people aged between 75 and 80. A recent study in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal has shown the maternal RSV vaccination to be 58% effective in preventing hospitalisation of infants. This figure, as we heard, increases to 72% if mothers were vaccinated more than 14 days before delivery. The UKHSA confirms that this evidence clearly shows that the RSV vaccine for pregnant women is highly effective.
However, the criteria for older people, currently set at the ages of between 75 and 80, appears to many people to be arbitrary and questions are being asked about it. Ministers have said that the JCVI will be monitoring the current criteria alongside evidence of serious infections among those not currently eligible. Can the Minister please say when the joint committee’s next investigation will be published? Will it be considering the case of people who are immune-suppressed and who may therefore be at greater risk of serious illness if they catch the virus?
Lord Kamall (Con)
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie of Downpatrick, for securing this debate today on RSV, particularly on vaccines for children. I pay tribute to her for continuously raising awareness of RSV. As she reminded me, when I was a Minister she raised it a number of times and continues to raise it. That shows how important it is and the vital role she plays.
As we know, RSV, alongside flu and Covid, is a leading cause of serious respiratory illnesses. Before the rollout of the vaccination programme, it was responsible for more than 10,000 hospital admissions and 4,000 deaths each year among adults aged over 75. The noble Baroness reminded us that it poses a danger in early childhood, with, as other noble Lords have said, over 30,000 hospitalisations and up to 30 deaths each year among children under five. One of the reasons that children are especially at risk is due to their developing smaller airways, which makes them particularly susceptible to bronchiolitis, a condition in which the lungs become inflamed during the fight against infection. We also know that RSV is perhaps more widespread than is commonly known and can seriously affect the most vulnerable people in our society.
I welcome the opportunity that this debate allows us in taking the time to speak about RSV and to ask the Government about the steps they are taking to prevent it as much as possible and to treat it. The previous and current Governments and the many health professionals are to be congratulated on the fact that RSV vaccine coverage has been rising steadily. It is good news that, among eligible older adults in England, the vaccine uptake has risen from 23% in September 2024 to around 63% by the end of June 2025. Similarly, as others have said, maternal vaccination has followed a similar trajectory, so that among mothers who gave birth in March 2025, 55% have been vaccinated. I know noble Lords have given out various statistics today.
The challenge now, as the noble Baroness has identified, is how to increase this coverage further. We know that the vaccination works; a recent study, looking at data from 14 hospitals in England up to March 2025, found that vaccination reduced the chances of hospital admissions with RSV infection by 82%. It is important that we repeat some of these statistics so people recognise that vaccines work. More relevant to today’s debate is that the estimated reduction in RSV risk was 58% for infants whose mothers were vaccinated at any time before delivery. It is sometimes easy to quote statistics and figures and see who has the best or the more up-to-date statistics, but sometimes we forget the human element. It is clear that taking the RSV vaccine protects us, our friends and our loved ones from harm and hospitalisation, and we should not forget that.
Despite that good news, though, as with other conditions, there are substantial disparities in how effective these measures have been in the population data, as my noble friend Lord Mott, the noble Lord, Lord Rennard, and indeed the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie, said. As we have seen, recent data from the UKHSA showed that the uptake of the RSV vaccine for pregnant women in London was about 44%, compared to a figure of 65% in the south-west. We have heard from other noble Lords that members of the “Black or Black British—Caribbean” ethnic community are substantially less likely to be vaccinated than the highest uptake. Interestingly, ethnically Chinese people are the most vaccinated group, but in the “Black or Black British—Caribbean” cohort the coverage reported by the UKHSA earlier this year was only 28%.
We saw that the uptake of RSV vaccine for pregnant women in some of the UK’s largest ethnic groups is also quite low, with white British people at 62% and British Indian people at 56%. This data shows that, while many people have been vaccinated against RSV and the numbers have certainly increased, there are many communities where vaccination levels remain low. Clearly more needs to be done.
When I met the Caribbean and African Health Network last week, it explained some of the factors behind vaccine hesitancy within their communities. Sometimes it stems from a lack of trust of the organisations promoting vaccines, as well as a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate information. We also know, as other noble Lords have said, about misinformation about the harms that could be caused by vaccines, spread via social media but also by politicians in some parts of the political spectrum.
Noble Lords will recall that we had to tackle vaccine hesitancy under the Covid programme. We found that asking local community organisations—people in the communities, especially faith communities, who knew the people we were trying to reach—to take the lead helped to build trust, but it did not always solve the problem. It is very easy to point to one success story. Indeed, in at least one case, there were certain churches that were actually discouraging their congregations from being vaccinated. That just shows how granular we have to be in reaching those communities and trying to understand some of those barriers.
So, while noble Lords may extol the benefits of vaccination programmes for RSV, Covid, HPV and MMR, there is clearly more work to be done in reaching out to individuals in the communities where uptake is low. We need to understand their concerns and the barriers that they feel they face, and we need to understand how we can tap into the power of trusted local community organisations to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from RSV and other vaccines.
The noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie of Downpatrick, stressed the importance of vaccinating infants, but we need to reach the children via their parents and the communities in which they live. I am sure that noble Lords across the House share the ambition to break down barriers of access and build trust in communities, and to make sure more people are protected against RSV.
When we returned after the short break, the Minister said she missed a number of questions from noble Lords across the House, so, as in any debate, I want to make sure that I help her in that respect. I have questions but, if the Minister cannot answer now, perhaps she will write to us. What specific steps are her department and organisations such as the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the UKHSA taking to address these disparities in RSV vaccine uptake, not only regionally but also ethnically? What initiatives are there to increase uptake in those ethnic communities where vaccination levels are particularly low? What has worked and what has not?
Is the Minister able to share some good stories where specific programmes to tackle vaccine hesitancy have actually showed some success? How can that best practice be rolled out to other communities in other parts of the country? I think the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie of Downpatrick, asked about disaggregated data—what disaggregated data is available on RSV vaccine uptake? If it is not yet available, will the Minister look at or perhaps commit to publishing regular disaggregated data on RSV vaccine uptake by region, ethnicity and socioeconomic group so that Parliament and the public can track progress in ensuring equity of access? I am sure the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie of Downpatrick, would appreciate such disaggregated data, as all noble Lords would.
I once again thank the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie of Downpatrick, for securing this debate today and for the opportunity it has afforded the full Benches to discuss this important issue. Your Lordships recognise that the Minister takes this issue seriously, so we look forward to the responses.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)
My Lords, I am sure we are all in agreement in our thanks to my noble friend Lady Ritchie for securing this important debate and for her very thorough and considered introduction. Acknowledgement has also rightly been paid to my noble friend for her campaigning and her raising of awareness of this issue, which has made a real difference, as we have heard. I am grateful to all noble Lords for their helpful contributions and questions, which I will reflect on and share with the responsible Minister: Ashley Dalton MP, the Minister for Public Health.
RSV is a common virus that 90% of children get before the age of two. It is often mild, causing a cough or a cold, but can also be serious—it can sometimes be fatal because it can cause lung infections such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia which make it difficult for babies to breathe and to feed. Watching your baby struggle for breath is alarming for any parent, carer or family member, and far too many know what this feels like as RSV is the biggest cause of winter admissions in children’s hospitals every year.
My noble friend asked about the collection of systematic data. I can confirm that, as with all major infectious diseases, the Government regularly review data collected on the impact of RSV and continuously monitor immunisation programmes, including uptake levels in different groups. I am glad to say all noble Lords have raised this theme, and I will return to it later. Researchers and government epidemiologists provide evidence to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the JCVI’s advice is of immense and direct importance to any decision.
In June 2023, the JCVI—as noble Lords have said—recommended programmes to protect babies against RSV, and in September 2024 this Government introduced vaccinations for all pregnant women from 28 weeks. But last year the JCVI highlighted how very premature babies may not benefit from this new programme, either because they are born before their mothers are vaccinated or because there is limited time for the protection to be passed down to them during pregnancy after their mothers have been vaccinated.
I am glad to say that this debate gives me an opportunity to update your Lordships’ House on the key changes the Government have made recently to deliver equity in RSV protection, something all noble Lords have emphasised the importance of this evening. Since 2010, the NHS has offered an immunisation called palivizumab to infants at greatest risk of severe RSV illness. This is effective, but it is also expensive, as it requires a monthly injection, which means it has been limited to around 4,000 infants at most risk each winter. I know that the noble Lord, Lord Mott, is very concerned, as am I, about winter pressures, and rightly so.
I am therefore delighted to announce that from the end of this month the NHS will also start offering immunisation to all premature babies born before 32 weeks, as advised by the JCVI. This is the result of the Government working with the NHS and partners to secure a product that is more effective in tackling infant RSV. The new immunisation is called nirsevimab. It provides better protection and requires only a single injection over winter. I am sure that all noble Lords will welcome this development; it shows the improvements and changes we can make by harnessing technology and innovation, and I am glad to be able to share it with noble Lords this evening.
My noble friend Lady Ritchie asked about the steps the Government are taking to ensure protection for all infants going into their first winter, including for babies born prematurely and those whose mothers have chosen not to get vaccinated. Let me say loud and clear that my message is that vaccination during pregnancy is the best way to prevent babies from becoming seriously ill with RSV.
The vaccination programme is expected to have a major impact on RSV this winter, including for the most premature babies. The vaccine is offered from week 28 of pregnancy, and most are given it by week 31. As my noble friend observed, a study led by NHS paediatricians found that the vaccine was 72% effective in preventing hospitalisations in the first six months of life for infants whose mothers were vaccinated more than 14 days before delivery. Every noble Lord who has spoken this evening has rightly counselled against listening to misinformation, which is dangerous and damaging, and I certainly share that view.
The JCVI also noted that clinical trial data shows high levels of immunity in babies born 14 days after the mother is vaccinated. Compared with babies whose mothers are not vaccinated, immunity was also relatively high in babies born less than 14 days after the vaccination. This has informed the JCVI’s advice that babies born before 32 weeks are the group that requires an additional immunisation to protect them during the winter. Again, as with all new programmes, the Government will be closely monitoring the impact of the programme in different population groups.
As we have heard, the maternal RSV programme is only a year old, and already vaccine uptake in pregnant women has increased since the programme began. We want to see many more pregnant women getting vaccinated. Every noble Lord who has spoken this evening rightly asked what is being done to reduce the current variation in uptake of the maternal RSV programme across regions and ethnic groups—and the noble Lord, Lord Kamall, made a helpful comment about his recent meeting with affected groups.
We very much recognise how much more needs to be done, particularly in areas and communities where uptake is lower. That is why we are continuing to implement the NHS vaccination strategy to make vaccinations more accessible, locally tailored and inclusive. To do this, we are transferring the commissioning of vaccination services to ICBs. That will support NHS regions with delivering vaccination services that are properly tailored to the local needs of local populations.
We are also providing better access to vaccinations. For example, we are updating information resources in 30 languages, encouraging maternity services to have early discussions with pregnant women about vaccinations, and ensuring that training is in place so that staff can have the knowledge to address concerns and confidence in the programme. From this month, we are running broadcast and digital media communications to encourage pregnant women to get their RSV, whooping cough and flu vaccines, with greater efforts being made in the communities and geographical areas that have lower uptake.
The noble Lord, Lord Rennard, asked where the update on the UKHSA immunisation equity strategy is. I am glad to be able to tell him that the update was published in July, and it sets out to ensure a whole range of things, which I think will be of interest to noble Lords: there will be more accountable system leadership on immunisation inequities; there will be better access to timely, high-quality data; practitioners and policymakers will be better able to share, generate and use evidence; and there will be better people- and place-based approaches to communications and engagement around immunisation. It is certainly intended that these actions will raise awareness in communities across the country, as we have discussed.
The noble Lord, Lord Mott, rightly referred to winter pressures. I hope that in the way I have described, the reduction of the incidence of RSV will take pressure off the NHS in the winter. We know that flu is very much a recurring pressure. I emphasise to noble Lords that this year’s flu vaccination programme is under way. It began on 1 September for children and pregnant women; and adults aged over 65—which I know not everyone in the Chamber is, but a number of us are —those with long-term health conditions, and front-line health and social care workers can get their flu vaccine from 1 October. Again, I encourage everybody to do so.
The noble Lord, Lord Rennard, asked when the JCVI will consider the immune-suppressed. It has advised that the expansion of the older adult immunisation programme will be guided, as ever, by emerging evidence of disease incidence in different groups, and we will certainly be considering any future advice.
The noble Lord, Lord Kamall, asked about good news stories, so to finish: the reported increase in the uptake of whooping cough vaccines given to pregnant women reached 72.6% because of the communication and the attention given to that. The Government will continue to monitor the impact and the Government are pleased to have made a real and positive impact for babies, parents and others affected by RSV.