Pregnant women in Hampshire and Dorset are invited to come forward to take part in a trial researching an investigational maternal vaccine for RSV
RSV is a leading cause of infant hospitalisation, causing between 20 and 30 infant deaths per year in the UK.
What is RSVoyage?
The RSVoyage clinical trial will evaluate the safety and immune response of an investigational vaccine aimed at preventing RSV in newborn babies by vaccinating mothers during pregnancy.
Wessex Research Hubs is enrolling women in late pregnancy from across Hampshire and Dorset at clinical trials facilities in Southampton and Bournemouth.
During the study, an investigational vaccine will be given to pregnant women to determine whether it can help protect babies during the vulnerable first few months by passing on immunity through the placenta. Young children are at greater risk of severe RSV infection, especially those under six months, because their respiratory and immune systems are not fully developed.
Dr Chrissie Jones, paediatric infectious disease specialist and international expert in vaccine in pregnancy, is Chief Investigator of the trial in the UK.
“I am passionate about the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases before birth. RSV is a very contagious infection and every year our wards are full of babies affected by this virus with breathing and feeding problems. These hospital admissions are highly distressing for families and cause a huge winter burden on the NHS. Protecting babies against RSV from the moment they are born would make a massive difference to families and the NHS.”
National Immunisation
From September this year, a new national immunisation programme to tackle RSV infections will commence for older adults and pregnant women. To ensure a secure global supply of vaccines to protect babies against RSV, it is important to have several vaccines which are safe and effective. So it is important to test investigational vaccines aimed at protecting infants against RSV, which may be offered by the NHS and feed into other immunisation programmes around the world.
What is RSV?
● Usually the RSV virus causes infections of the lungs and respiratory tract which results in mild illness. Symptoms include runny nose, sore throat, cough, and headache
● In some babies RSV leads to more severe lung problems such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia
● The virus is responsible for around 33,000 NHS hospitalisations annually in children under five years old
Case Study
Ailsa Cox, mum-of-three from Hambledon, is urging mothers to come forward. Her children Ruaraidh and Tiodhlac were both cared for in Queen Alexandra hospital, Portsmouth, after they picked up the infection.
She said: “It’s difficult to see your children so poorly with this virus. Both my younger two were hospitalised within one week of each other with RSV and bronchiolitis, a common secondary complication with RSV. It’s hard to describe how distressing it is to see them struggling to breathe when they’re so small. We were lucky they didn’t have additional complications. I have friends whose children have needed intensive care due to RSV.”
Ailsa Cox with Tiodhlac aged 2 and Ruaraidh aged 4
To join the RSVoyage Trial, you must be:
• 18 to less than 40 years of age
• In good health
• 28 to 36 weeks pregnant at the time of the vaccination visit
This trial is supported by Moderna and is being undertaken as part of the Moderna-UK Strategic Partnership, which is bringing mRNA vaccine manufacturing to the UK and building resilience to future health emergencies. Under the 10-year partnership with the government, Moderna has also committed substantial investment to research and development, which includes running a number of clinical trials, such as this one, in the UK.
Find out more
This trial is running at our hubs located in the Royal Bournemouth Hospital and University Hospital Southampton.
For Southampton, please email ReproHealthResearchT@uhs.nhs.uk or call 023 8120 6856
For Bournemouth, please email rsvoyage@uhd.nhs.uk or call 0300 019 6686
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