[Seasonal trends of respiratory syncytial virus infections on Réunion Island gathering data among hospitalized children]

Abstract

Little is known about the epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in tropical countries and in particular in tropical islands of the Indian Ocean. Our study reviewed all cases of RSV infections diagnosed among hospitalized children in the Hospital de Saint Pierre de la Réunion, from January 1993 to December 1999. 849 cases were identified of which 67.7% were infants under 6 months old. Most cases occurred from December to May (89% of all cases), showing a significant correlation with the hot and rainy season. These data confirm the previous studies and support the existence of seasonal trends of RSV infections in the tropics.