RSV vaccine: Mother’s vaccine plea after baby’s virus death

The 43 year-old community midwife was living in London at the time, before moving to Wales, where she also runs a baby feeding and support group for parents.

She said, for the children admitted to intensive care alongside Rumer, those with underlying conditions were generally in for about five days.

“Whereas for Rumer it was disastrous and catastrophic,” she said.

“With already compromised lungs she probably wasn’t going to live a long healthy life – but she might have lived a year.

“The vaccine protects every baby but it saves the lives of babies who have significant underlying conditions .”

She said of the babies with underlying conditions, to which RSV could be fatal, some “will have heart defects that are treatable and curable and would live long healthy lives”.