Norfolk mum hopes RSV vaccine will reduce son's hospital visits

Charlotte Thurnell said it was frightening seeing her son, Oscar, in hospital with RSV

A mother whose son has been admitted to hospital twice with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) said she hoped a vaccine trial would reduce admissions.

RSV is one of the main reasons children under five end up in hospital and is a leading cause of the chest infection bronchiolitis.

Charlotte Thurnell, from Clippesby, Norfolk, has signed her three-month-old son Oscar up for the trial.

The 28-year-old said the virus was "very, very scary".

Charlotte Thurnell said the James Paget Hospital saved Oscar's life

At the end of last year, Oscar was admitted to the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston-on-Sea and was taken straight into a resuscitation area.

"They diagnosed him with bronchiolitis and RSV," she said.

"He had two consultants and seven nurses working on him and they were really worried about him.

"The James Paget basically saved his life."

Dr John Chapman said there was "an epidemic of RSV bronchiolitis every year"

Dr John Chapman, paediatric consultant who is leading the trial at the hospital, said RSV "swamped" children's wards every year.

"Some children will have a bit of a sniffle, but other children will have respiratory failure and be transferred to intensive care units," he said.

Dr Chapman said the trial was using "a newer version of a slightly older vaccine" that had been adapted so that its effects lasted longer.

"The hope is that you can give this to children at the beginning of winter so it can protect them throughout," he said.

"We know the vaccine is safe, that it's been effective in small numbers [of patients], so it needs to be scaled up.

"This trial is looking at tens of thousands of babies in the UK and across Europe."

Three-month-old Oscar is taking part in the trial

Dr Chapman said the trial was running until the end of March and teams were looking to get as many children as possible vaccinated by then.

Hospitals across the UK and western Europe were taking part in the trial, called the Harmonie Study.