Local mum’s stark warning about the dangers of RSV in babies

A Sherwood Forest Hospitals employee’s child almost died from the RSV virus at just one week old. Now, she wants to highlight the importance of having the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine in pregnancy.

Harrison (Harry) Potts was born a healthy, full-term baby in December 2022. Just two weeks later, he had turned grey and was left fighting for his life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after contracting RSV.

Recruitment Assistant Gemma Potts, 31, from Alfreton, who works for the Trust, recalls being told to prepare for the worst when he was first admitted to hospital and remembers the horror of seeing him hooked up to a ventilator, extremely poorly and struggling to fight the virus.

Thankfully, Harry managed to fight the infection after undergoing 10 days of tests and treatments in the ICU. He has since contracted the virus three more times, continued with bronchiolitis until he was a one and a half years old, and has been hospitalised on further occasions. Harry is still under ongoing investigation for issues with his chest and airway.

The experience has impacted the family greatly, causing significant distress to Harry’s older brother Thomas who still worries when his younger brother becomes ill. Gemma said: “The experience has had such a devastating effect on our family. It is something we will never get over and two years down the line, we still find it hard to move on from the trauma.”

According to the UK Health Security Agency, RSV accounts for around 30,000 hospitalisations of children in the UK each year, and for between 20 and 30 infant deaths. This is because babies have small airways and haven’t yet built-up immunity to the virus, and this can lead to severe bronchiolitis which in some cases can be fatal.

RSV is a common cause of coughs and colds and symptoms can include a runny or blocked nose, a cough, sneezing, tiredness, and a high temperature. Babies may also be irritable and will feed less than usual.

Studies have shown that having the RSV vaccine during pregnancy is much safer than the risk of your baby contracting RSV, and from 1 September this year, a free vaccine has been made available to all pregnant people to protect their babies against the virus.

Gemma is passionate about raising awareness of having the vaccine during pregnancy, commenting that if she had the chance to have the vaccine when she was pregnant, she would have jumped at the chance knowing what she knows now.

She continued, “It is so important that people understand how bad this virus can be. The symptoms of RSV are very similar to a cold, but they should not be underestimated - the severity of this virus is just not worth the risk.

“I hope that no child or family goes through what we went through, and I truly believe that this vaccine will be a lifesaver for many babies.”

Claire Allison, Maternity Matron for the Trust’s Outpatient Services team, is also encouraging all pregnant people to have the vaccine when offered, and said, “I would urge everyone who is pregnant to take up the offer of a free vaccine to protect their baby against RSV, which they can have alongside their flu and whooping cough vaccines. Doing so will help to protect their baby in the first few months of life by boosting the mother’s antibodies, which are passed over to the unborn baby via the placenta. The effects of the vaccine will continue to work if the baby is breast/chest fed. Please discuss the vaccine with your midwife or GP who will answer any questions you may have.”

The RSV vaccine is recommended from 28 weeks of pregnancy as this will help to protect babies for the first few months after they are born, but it can still be administered later in pregnancy. It will be offered around the 28-week antenatal appointment, and pregnant people are encouraged to speak to their midwife or GP if this hasn’t been offered.

You can visit https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/rsv-vaccine/ to find out more about the RSV vaccine.