‘My baby nearly died’ warns mum as cases of RSV virus surge

Parents are being urged to be aware of the signs of a common winter illness in children after figures show that the number of children hospitalised with it quadrupled in just over a month.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – which 90 per cent of children will have had by the age of two – usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms that clear up within a few weeks.

But it can turn serious in the vulnerable, such as infants, older children with weakened immune systems and the elderly and is a leading cause of lung infections such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis, which can require ventilation.

There has been a 473 per cent surge in RSV hospitalisations in the week ending 16 November compared to the same period in October, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Baby Leo, pictured at six weeks old, had no obvious vulnerabilities but nurses prepared his mother for the worst (Photo: Lydia Johnson)

During the past two winters, cases have been higher than usual because Covid measures in previous years suppressed occurrences – meaning youngsters have now had much lower immunity.

It comes as a vaccine has been approved for the first time for use in pregnant women to give babies greater protection from RSV from the moment of their birth.

About three in 100 babies with RSV will need hospital treatment, according to the charity Asthma + Lung UK. The virus results in 20 to 30 infant deaths per year in the UK, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.

Experts warn parents to look out for symptoms such as difficulty breathing and feeding, noisy breathing, a dry raspy cough and a high temperature.

Lydia Johnson had not realised how serious RSV could be until her six-week old baby, Leo, nearly died in hospital in May this year. He was born at full term and with no obvious vulnerabilities.

At one point, the nurses prepared the mother-of-three for the worst and asked her if she wanted to call a priest.

The now eight-month-old has been in and out of hospital and doctors say he has been left with lung damage.

“I’m keen to raise awareness because Leo deteriorated so rapidly,” she told i.

Leo, now aged eight months, has been hospitalised eight times (Photo: Lydia Johnson)

‘I had no idea that RSV could be so dangerous’

Lydia, 29, from Telford, Shropshire, was breastfeeding Leo at home when she noticed his breathing had become laboured. “He was sucking in at his ribs, as though he was really short of breath,” she said.

Within 10 minutes, he had gone blue and floppy and she rushed him to hospital. By the time she got to A&E, he was completely unresponsive. “It’s just a five-minute drive to the hospital, he went downhill so quick,” she recalled.

After being put on oxygen, baby Leo was discharged two days later. But later that day he started struggling to breathe again.

Before they reached the children’s ward, Leo had stopped breathing completely and was unresponsive. Lydia watched on in shock as the skin on his legs went mottled and the doctors put him on an oxygen machine. He was also fitted with a feeding tube.

Leo’s legs went very mottled in the hospital (Photo: Lydia Johnson)

Lydia said she felt so helpless when Leo stopped breathing (Photo: Lydia Johnson)

An X-ray showed Leo’s lungs were congested and he was taken to the high dependency unit in a critical condition. The next day he crashed again.

“I felt so helpless,” said Lydia. “At around 6am, he made this strange gasping sound and stopped breathing again and the nurse pulled the emergency cord. All I could see were tiny, pale grey legs sticking out from under the doctors’ and nurses’ arms as they tried desperately to save him. I ran down the corridor hysterical. I couldn’t watch.”

A nurse gave Lydia and her husband Clayton a stark warning. “She said he was the sickest baby they had in there. She asked if he was baptised and if we wanted a priest.”

It was touch and go for a few days but, thankfully, the antibiotics worked and Leo pulled through. However, the youngster has been hospitalised a total of eight times since.

Lydia says she’s very anxious about him picking up infections from nursery and her other children, Sofia, four, and Alyssia, nearly two.

“We don’t know what the future holds for Leo, but I’m just so glad I trusted my instincts and took him to hospital straight away ,” said Lydia. “I had no idea that RSV could be so dangerous or cause lasting damage.”

Leo with his older sister, Sofia (Photo: Lydia Johnson)

Calls for jab rollout

Last June, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which advises government on vaccine policy, called for a new winter vaccine rollout to tackle RSV. It said ministers should consider a seasonal or year-round invitation for the jab for pregnant women and babies as well as over-75s. But, in September, the Government delayed the rollout.

It was announced on Thursday that Pfizer’s Abrysvo jab has been given the green light by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for British pregnant women for the first time.

The jab is the second RSV vaccine to be approved in the UK – after GSK’s Arexvy in July.

Experts say the shot will protect infants from complications from birth through to six months of age through maternal immunisation.

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Asthma + Lung UK say the vaccines should be delivered as soon as possible, to help vulnerable groups and protect the NHS from becoming overwhelmed each winter.

The charity’s head of health advice, Emma Rubach, said: “Like most other colds and viruses, RSV starts with a blocked or runny nose and can progress to cause a cough, fever and sometimes breathing difficulties. For most children, it will clear in a few days and they can be looked after at home.

“However, some children do develop more severe symptoms and bronchiolitis. Warning signs to look out for in your children include if they are finding it difficult to feed or eat, they are breathing more quickly, they have a high temperature, they have noisy breathing (wheezing) or seem very tired.

“If they are showing any of these signs, seek urgent medical help. And call 999 for urgent help if your child is struggling to breathe, there are pauses when you child breathes, your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue or your child is very floppy.”

A spokesperson for the DHSC said: “The NHS already offers monoclonal antibodies, which provide protection against RSV to infants at very high risk.

“We are developing options for delivering wider infant and adult RSV programmes, in collaboration with the UK Health Security Agency, NHS England and manufacturers. We will update in due course.”

For more information and advice on RSV and bronchiolitis visit here or or call the Asthma + Lung UK helpline on

0300 222 5800.