Special hospital clinics are being established this week to offer a new vaccine at 28 weeks of pregnancy, aimed at protecting infants from a potentially fatal winter virus.

Each winter, approximately 30,000 children under five are rushed to UK hospitals with RSV, a virus that affects 90 per cent of children under two and can lead to severe lung infections including bronchiolitis and pneumonia.

Around 30 infants die from RSV annually, while others suffer lifelong complications.

Public Health Midwife Joanna Melia of NHS Humber Health Partnership stated: "Getting the RSV vaccine means you're protecting you and your baby from what can be very severe condition, particularly in infants under three months old.

"But you're also doing the right thing for your friends, workmates and wider community by protecting hospital services this winter. Fewer cases of RSV means fewer hospital admissions and that means more beds, staff and resources to save more lives."

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Clinics offering the RSV vaccine to women at 28 weeks of pregnancy will be held at Hull Women and Children's Hospital in the Antenatal Department on Thursday mornings and Friday afternoons, as well as at Castle Hill Hospital on Friday afternoons.

Appointments can be booked with your community midwife. The vaccine to protect against whooping cough can also be booked between 16 and 20 weeks into your pregnancy.

Andrew Gwynne, Minister for Public Health and Prevention, has urged those who are eligible to take advantage of the free vaccine offer, sharing his personal experience with RSV. "My own grandson contracted RSV when he was just days old, leading to weeks in intensive care and a lifelong impact on his health," he revealed.

"I don't want anyone to go through what he went through. Not only will this vaccine save lives and protect the most vulnerable, it will help ease pressure on our broken NHS, freeing up thousands of hospital beds as we head into winter."

Those aged between 75 and 79 by 1 September 2024 will also be invited to receive their RSV vaccination from their GP, and those turning 75 after this date will also receive an invitation from their GP once eligible.