Mum whose son nearly died from RSV urges others to get vaccine rolled out this week

SWNS 2024-09-02

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A mum is urging pregnant women to take up the RSV vaccine being rolled out nationwide this week - after her newborn nearly died when he caught the virus.

Ethyan Gammage was rushed to hospital after becoming "grey, cold and lifeless" and mum Fiona Walker, 41, feared he was dead.

He was diagnosed with bronchiolitis, caused by the human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

The premature baby was put into an induced coma and a ventilator in the NICU, and fought for his life - eventually being discharged after two long weeks in hospital.

RSV is common in adults and presents as a mild flu, but it can be deadly in newborns and the elderly.

The vaccine was rolled out from yesterday (1) across the UK to those aged 75+ and pregnant women of any age who are over 28 weeks, to help protect their newborn babies.

Ethyan lives in Scotland which began vaccinating pregnant women against the virus in August this year.

But because he was born six weeks prematurely, in June - he missed that deadline.

She is now urging pregnant women to take up the vaccine - so nobody else goes through what she did.

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