Understanding the burden of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and the importance of a proactive approach to supporting the NHS and patients

Baroness Margaret Ritchie

I come to the subject of RSV as someone who had pneumonia as a two month old baby in the late 1950’s followed by regular bouts of bronchitis which left a periodic wheeze – this then developed into asthma which is controlled by inhalers.

RSV is a common virus that can cause acute lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis.1 An RSV infection usually causes mild and self-limiting symptoms in children and adults which resolve within a couple of weeks.2 However, RSV-related bronchiolitis can also lead to more severe complications.3

RSV has a significant impact on the NHS, with over 30,000 infants and children under five being hospitalised in the UK each year.4 The burden of RSV is also felt within primary care; in research recently commissioned and funded by Sanofi, RAND Europe estimated RSV is attributable to over 467,000 GP visits and 235,000 NHS 111 calls in the UK in children under five.5 This translates into approximately £65 million in annual direct healthcare costs in the UK.5

In examining the impact of RSV on our society and economy, I think the UK Government now need to concentrate on political and financial solutions which I hope will enable the introduction of a proactive approach to diagnostics, testing, vaccinations and medicines to address the severe respiratory issues. Current medical trials and their results need to be accelerated to enable doctors and those in the medical and nursing profession to support

YOUNG INFANTS AND OLDER ADULTS WITH RSV.

Particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lessons learnt from it, it is important that the Prime Minister and the UK Government provide immediate impetus to the implementation of a strategy to address RSV through diagnostics, testing, dedicated vaccination programmes and medicines, and also to ensure that the new research is made available to clinicians and decision makers. All of this will require dedicated funding and resources to mitigate the impact of RSV on individuals, the NHS, workplace and wider society. I will continue to pursue these issues in the House of Lords.

1 CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). “Learn About Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV).” CDC. As of November 2022: https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/index.html.

2 NHS England, Bronchiolitis: Overview, available at: Accessed November 2022.

3 Drysdale, S.B, et al, (2016), “Best practice in the prevention and management of paediatric respiratory syncytial virus infection.” Therapeutic advances in infectious disease vol. 3,2 63-71. doi:10.1177/2049936116630243. Accessed November 2022.

4 Vaccine Knowledge Project (2020), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Accessed November 2022.

5 Fusco, F, et al. (2022) The burden of respiratory syncytial virus: Understanding impacts on the NHS, society and economy. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. Accessed November 2022.