'I don’t want any parent or grandparent to go through the trauma we went through - it is entirely preventable'
manchestereveningnews.co.ukPublic health minister and Greater Manchester MP Andrew Gwynne has shared his family's 'heartbreaking' experience after his two week-old grandson battled a respiratory virus in hospital.
Mr Gwynne said the newborn tot was put in an induced coma by medics and spent two weeks fighting for his life. The Labour MP told of watching his grandson 'helpless' on a ventilation machine - as he revealed the shocking national scale of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalisations.
The minister, who represents the Gorton and Denton constituency, spoke out after it was revealed on Monday that the NHS has started vaccinating pregnant and older people against the virus.
Mr Gwynne said his grandson was just weeks old when he contracted the virus, which developed into bronchiolitis. He was put in an induced coma and spent two weeks in intensive care. READ MORE: Hospital issues statement as mum, 36, dies minutes after giving birth "It was just heartbreaking watching this tiny, weeks old baby just helpless on the machine," he said. "Around 20,000 babies a year are hospitalised with RSV, and very tragically between 20 and 30 a year will die from it.
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