A top children's doctor in Newcastle has warned that the return to normality after the Covid-19 lockdowns has resulted in the rise of a worrying virus affecting children.
But a potentially "gamechanging" vaccine is being trialled across the country that could save lives.
Professor Marieke Emonts - a consultant at the Great North Children's Hospital - is urging parents in the North East with children under the age of one, to sign up for a trial which could prevent the worst of the RSV virus. RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is a leading cause of hospitalisation for the youngest children.
The virus, which spreads similarly to Covid or the flu, "almost disappeared" while lockdown measures were in place, Prof Emonts said. But since the country opened up again, it has returned and we are seeing a particularly worrying winter with the number of youngsters needing hospital treatment because of it "massively up".
Read more: Autumn vaccinations could be the norm as NHS urges those eligible to get Covid booster and flu jab
Prof Emonts said: "RSV is going back into the community and spreading rapidly. It's like influenza - if you have had a bad flu season the next year tends to be better as more have been exposed. This year we've already seen the number of RSV cases go massively up.
"For most children it's not too bad but some can become really really sick. They might need oxygen and help with their breathing, some will even need to be put on a ventilator."
The senior medic is the primary investigator on a innovative trial called HARMONIE - run jointly by manufacturers Sanofi and Astra-Zeneca and the National Institute for Health and Care Research - which is giving children who have yet to be exposed to RSV a vaccine dose of an antibody called Nirsevimab. This has been shown to work to prevent hospitalisation in small sample groups - and now medical experts want to see how it works in the population at large.
RSV can even lead to severe lung problems like bronchiolitis and pneumonia, so Prof Emonts said that if the new vaccine - which has already been approved by regulators - can prevent youngsters from falling as ill as they otherwise would, it will make a huge difference.
She said: "It's a really big deal, particularly for doctors and nurses who deal with children all the time. RSV is a huge thing, particularly last year post-Covid - though the seasons have been quite mixed up.
"We are trying to see the difference made when you give these children antibodies before their first RSV season and how much this can prevent hospital admissions. If this can help prevent the admission of some children to hospital each winter then that would be exactly what we need and what we have been waiting for for such a long time. It really would be a gamechanger."
Prof Emonts urged parents of children in the right age range to sign up. The study will last approximately 12 months and includes a single in-person visit, with entirely virtual follow-ups on a monthly basis. Participants will be randomly assigned into one of two groups. One group will receive the antibody dose, and in the other group no injection will be given.
In total, more than 20,000 babies across the UK, France and Germany will take part. To find out more and sign up, visit: rsvharmoniestudy.com
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