A recent study shows Denmark’s maternal RSV vaccination programme significantly reduced severe infant illnesses during the 2025/26 season, highlighting the programme’s potential to alleviate hospital pressures across Europe.
Denmark’s new maternal RSV vaccination programme appears to have delivered a sharp early drop in severe infant illness, according to researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Nordsjællands Hospital. During the 2025/26 season, hospital admissions among babies aged zero to five months fell by 75% compared with previous seasons, with 296 cases recorded between October and April.
The vaccine was offered to pregnant women expected to give birth during, or shortly before, the winter RSV season, when the virus normally spreads most heavily in Denmark. Uptake was strong in the first year: 72% of eligible pregnant women accepted the offer. The researchers said the figures are encouraging, but they also stressed that the study cannot prove the vaccination programme alone caused the decline. Changes in transmission, testing and other factors may also have played a part.
Their findings fit with experience elsewhere in Europe, where RSV vaccination programmes have already been introduced in countries including Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, France and England. The European Medicines Agency says several RSV vaccines are now authorised in the EU, including products for pregnant women, older adults and other at-risk groups, while no vaccine is yet authorised for children.
The wider burden of RSV remains substantial. A separate study published in the Journal of Infection found that RSV was linked to thousands of adult hospital admissions in England during the 2023/24 season, with estimated costs of £68.5 million after accounting for cases that may not have been recognised. Together, the studies suggest vaccination could become an important tool in reducing pressure on hospitals, even if the virus itself is unlikely to disappear.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
