Dr Emily Prior is a Paediatrician and researcher, focusing on investigating long term health outcomes of children born preterm. She also sits on the Royal College of Paediatric and Child Health’s Engagement Committee and Great Ormond Street Hospital parent advisory group for research, so brings a wealth of knowledge to her role on the Scientific Advisory Group of The Lullaby Trust.
What do you do in your day-to-day job?
I am a neonatologist but at the moment I spend about 80% of my time in neonatal medicine research. I run a study called the Ex-Preterm Infant in Childhood (EPIC) Study which is following up a group of children born preterm into childhood. The rest of my time is spent working clinically on the neonatal unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. We look after babies born preterm and also term babies who may need extra medical care after birth.
Why are pre-term and newborn babies particularly vulnerable to infection and certain diseases?
Preterm babies do not have a fully developed immune system and even healthy term babies are much more vulnerable to infection compared to toddlers and older children. One of the reasons is that they have simply not been exposed to some common viruses; so for example they won’t have any immunity to even a common cold!
What are, if any, the gaps in our understanding of infection prevention in infants that research can help to answer?
There are still lots of gaps… the more we understand the less we know! But for me, as a neonatologist, one of the most important gaps is identifying which infants are at risk of serious infection in the first few hours and days after birth.
What are your top infection prevention tips and/or resources for parents and carers?
Infection prevention starts before birth, so I would encourage all pregnant mums to get the recommended vaccines in pregnancy. When you have a vaccine, your body generates antibodies which fight that disease. These are passed from mum to baby in the later stages of pregnancy and help protect your baby in the first few months of life until they get their vaccines.
There is a new vaccine currently being rolled out against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) for pregnant mums. RSV can cause breathing problems in babies and young children. Vaccinating pregnant mums will help to protect their babies against RSV when they are born. We don’t have any effective treatments for RSV so it is really exciting that there is now something that can prevent it!
And finally… What’s one thing you wish you’d known as a new parent?
Being a parent will get easier! Looking after my own newborn baby was so much harder than I imagined… and I do this for a living!! But it does get easier and then suddenly you have a bouncing three year old! Also, always trust your instincts and if you’re worried about your baby, however trivial it might seem, ask for help.
