The UK Health Security Agency has published first full-year results from the national maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination program.
Data from the same 20 hospitals and surveillance system show 63 infants were admitted to intensive care with RSV infection last winter, down from 131 the previous year.
This represents a 52 percent reduction in ICU admissions for RSV among newborns.
The program vaccinates pregnant people to transfer protective antibodies to infants before birth.
RSV is a common respiratory virus that can cause severe lower respiratory tract disease in young infants.
The agency's surveillance covers hospital admissions and laboratory-confirmed cases across the participating sites.
Officials say the early results indicate the vaccination strategy is preventing severe disease in the youngest infants.
Further monitoring will continue to assess longer-term impact and effectiveness across subsequent seasons.
Maternal RSV vaccine cuts newborn ICU admissions in half
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