Our twins were born in November 2011, six weeks preterm. They spent two weeks in the Special Care Baby Unit at Watford General Hospital. The staff there were very good but we received no information or advice regarding Bronchiolitis.

On the 9th day home they were constantly coughing and sneezing; the GP advised that they had just had colds but bring them back in if we were still worried. The next day we had to rush them both to hospital because they had stopped feeding, became "floppy", lethargic and an episode of cyanosis where I myself had to revive our daughter in time to get to hospital. Once at the hospital the doctors continually had to revive them both whilst they were being covered in tubes and wires, intubated to be put on ventilators. Our son also needed a blood transfusion. Then, once they were stable, they were transferred by two Childrens Acute Transportation Service teams from Watford General to Southampton Hospital's Paediatric Intensive Care Unit for 11 days, where one nurse even commented that we were really lucky, it was close; we could have lost them both. The reason we had to go to Southampton was because there were no beds available at this very busy time of year at Great Ormond Street Hospital or St Mary's Hospital.

What had appeared initially as a cold was later diagnosed as Bronchiolitis due to the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). RSV is prevalent between October and March, it is highly contagious, accounting for about 80-90% of the cases of Bronchiolitis. Babies who are premature or have a heart or lung condition are highly susceptible to Bronchiolitis; due to their lower energy reserves to fight off infection and are more likely to exhibit this level of severity due to their tiny airways blocking more easily.

Thankfully, we now have two very happy 3 year olds. They still have lots of chest infections through the winter months; needing inhalers, steroids, Montelukast and sometimes nebulisations in addition to anti-biotics (this we have been told is due to previously having Bronchiolitis). But the whole experience was shocking, terrifying, traumatic and emotionally scarring. 

Current guidelines merely SUGGEST providing the immunisation for extreme cases where babies must meet many criteria with lots of pre-existing medical conditions. This is not actually accounting for all the babies that are equally vulnerable - namely babies who are premature and/OR have a heart and/or lung condition. Clearly our twins were at risk of the most severe symptoms - if they had received the RSV immunisation programme they could have been prevented from contracting Bronchiolitis altogether or contracting it only mildly.

Ideally, the RSV immunisation programme should at least be offered to parents of all babies born in the Bronchiolitis season but certainly offered to the parents of the most at risk babies; premature babies and babies with heart or lung conditions, born between October and March. This obviously will not prevent those cases of Bronchiolitis due to other viruses but will help to prevent the 80-90% of cases. Preventing parents and new borns going through this dangerous and traumatic ordeal. This will also massively reduce pressure on the health service at this busy time of year and the extensive resources that are required when babies are admitted to hospital for Bronchiolitis.