A hospital team caring for the older patients is urging everyone aged 75 to 79 to be vaccinated against a potentially life-threatening virus.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) accounts for thousands of hospital admissions and hundreds of deaths every year, with older people are more at risk of serious complications.
More than a quarter of the 44 cases of RSV admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital over three months last year were patients over 75.
Now, staff at Humber Health Partnership, the group running Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Foundation Trust, are urging those who turned 75 on or after September 1 this year, as well as people aged 75 to 79, to take up the offer of the new RSV vaccine.
Dr Yoghini Nagandran, Consultant in Elderly Medicine and Clinical Director for Frailty at Humber Health Partnership
Dr Yoghini Nagandran, Clinical Director for Frailty who works in the Department of Medical Elderly at Hull Royal Infirmary, said: “This vaccine can protect you for years from really serious consequences linked to RSV. It can be a very serious illness, especially if you already have other health conditions.
“However, if you’re vaccinated, you’re less likely to need to be admitted to hospital even if you do catch the virus because you’ll be protected from the most severe impact of RSV.
“As well as looking after your own health, you’ll also be helping us and playing a vital part in easing the pressure on our hospitals over the winter months.”
RSV is a common cause of coughs and colds every winter. While most infections improve by themselves, RSV can be serious in babies under six months, young children who were born prematurely and adults over 75.
This year, the Government is introducing a national programme to vaccinate pregnant woman, protecting them and their babies for the first six months of their lives, and those aged 75 and over, up until the day before their 80th birthday.
According to the UK Health Security Agency, more than 400 deaths and around 2,000 hospital admissions could be avoided this winter if enough over 75s receive the vaccine. Vaccination will also save an estimated 15,000 GP visits and 60,000 RSV illnesses in the age group.
Data analysis discovered a hospital admission rate of 225 per 100,000 in people aged 75 and over, with almost 19 per cent dying within 30 days of being admitted to hospital.
You’ll be invited for vaccination by the NHS once you turn 75 and one dose offers protection lasting years.