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The government's immunisation advisory committee is considering whether to recommend the monoclonal antibody treatment nirsevimab

By Fergus Walsh

Medical editor

Hospital admissions from a winter virus could be reduced by more than 80% if babies are given a single dose of a new antibody treatment, a study says.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms, but can lead to bronchiolitis and pneumonia.

More than 30,000 under fives are hospitalised with RSV in the UK annually, resulting in 20 to 30 deaths.

One parent said her son getting RSV was "very scary" as a first-time mother.

Lorna and Russell Smith's eldest son, Caolan, got the virus when he was eight months old and was admitted to hospital twice - each time requiring oxygen.

Now aged two, he has made a full recovery.

"I hadn't heard of RSV and wasn't sure what to do. He had laboured breathing due to high temperature and was quite lethargic. It brought a lot of anxiety and stress," Lorna said.