Government campaign urges pregnant women to get vaccinated this winter

The government has launched a national vaccination campaign urging expectant mothers to get vaccinated against flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and whooping cough to protect their newborns this winter.

The ‘Stay Strong. Get Vaccinated’ campaign aims to raise awareness about the vital protection vaccines offer to newborns when administered during pregnancy.

It uses bubble wrap imagery to show how vaccination during pregnancy passes life-saving antibodies through the placenta to protect newborns.

The push comes as the NHS ramps up winter preparations, with local NHS leaders conducting ‘stress test’ exercises and deploying targeted care to protect the most at-risk groups.

Since September 1, pregnant women, all children aged two or three years on 31 August 2025, primary school aged children (from Reception to Year 6), secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11), all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years have all been eligible for the flu vaccine in England.

The campaign is being backed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England (NHSE) and will run across TV, video on demand, radio, outdoor billboards, and social media.

Health officials say ‘don’t wait’

Health officials are urging women between 20 and 32 weeks pregnant to prioritise vaccination during this critical window, when immunity can most effectively be passed on to their baby.

Gayatri Amirthalingam, deputy director of immunisation at UKHSA, said pregnant women or those with long-term health conditions are at greater risk from serious flu complications.

‘If you’re pregnant it also protects your baby, both in the womb and for the first few months of life,’ she said.

‘Don’t wait, if you are eligible, please come forward – it could be the most important appointment you make this winter, helping to keep you and your baby out of hospital,’ she said.

As of 1 October 2025, adults over 65, those at clinical risk and other eligible groups will also be able to get their flu jabs, with over 75s and those who are immunosuppressed able to get their Covid-19 vaccine.

Declining vaccine uptake

Each year, around 600,000 women give birth in England but latest UKHSA data showed a worrying decline in the maternal vaccine uptake last winter.

It found that only 35% of pregnant women were vaccinated against flu, with around 50% receiving the RSV vaccine.

Uptake for whooping cough was only 66% in the 2024 winter period, but this rose to 71% in early 2025.

Since January, 12 infants have died from whooping cough and hundreds of babies have been hospitalised with illnesses that DHSC says vaccines could have prevented.

Easing pressure on the NHS

Health minister Ashley Dalton said winter was ‘always tough’ for the NHS, but assured the government was working to ensure the health service was ‘ready for patients when they need it’.

‘Let’s work together to protect ourselves and ease pressure on our NHS – the single best way you can protect yourself and your family is by getting vaccinated,’ Ms Dalton said.

At the start of the month, UKHSA data revealed that a significant proportion of children who returned to school in England this year did not receive their pre-school booster jab.

As of this month the expanded shingles programme for immunosuppressed adults began.

A new NHS service enabling community pharmacies to administer flu vaccinations to children aged two to three years will be introduced as a one-season trial From October 1.

From January 2026, children across England will be offered the chickenpox vaccine for the first time as part of the routine childhood immunisation schedule.