Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccinations

Posted by: markh - Posted on:

The RSV vaccination is a new vaccination, available from 1st September 2024.

RSV is an infectious disease of the airways and lungs. RSV infection often causes symptoms similar to a cold, including:

  • cough
  • sore throat
  • sneezing
  • a runny or blocked nose

It can also make you become wheezy or short of breath and lead to pneumonia and other life-threatening conditions. There is no specific treatment, and most infections will get better by themselves. Every year thousands of older adults need hospital care for RSV. RSV infection is also common in young children but is most serious for small babies and for older people.

For further information about the NHs RSV vaccination programme please click on the link below:

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Appointments are now available for the RSV vaccination at Greenhead Family Doctors.

Patients who are eligible will receive an invite by SMS from the practice shortly.

Eligible Patients

  • Everyone turning 75 years old on or after the 1 September 2024 will be offered a single dose of RSV vaccine. This is because older adults are more at risk of serious complications from RSV. You can still get the vaccine up to the day before you turn 80.

For the first year of the programme, the vaccine will also be offered to those who are already aged 75 to 79 years on 1 September 2024 as part of a catch-up programme.

If you are not yet 75 the NHS will invite you for vaccination once you turn 75.