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. 2020 Jan 4;8(1):15.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines8010015.

Epidemiology of Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Related Hospitalization Over a 5-Year Period in Italy: Evaluation of Seasonality and Age Distribution Before Vaccine Introduction

Federica Barbati  1 , Maria Moriondo  1 , Laura Pisano  1 , Elisa Calistri  1 , Lorenzo Lodi  1 , Silvia Ricci  1 , Mattia Giovannini  1 , Clementina Canessa  1 , Giuseppe Indolfi  1 , Chiara Azzari  1
Affiliations

Epidemiology of Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Related Hospitalization Over a 5-Year Period in Italy: Evaluation of Seasonality and Age Distribution Before Vaccine Introduction

Federica Barbati et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is associated with most of the acute viral respiratory tract infections causing hospitalization with a peak during the first months of life. Many clinical trials of RSV vaccine candidates are being carried out. The aim of this study was to obtain epidemiologic information to give suggestions on target populations and prevention strategies before the introduction of new vaccines or monoclonal antibodies. We retrospectively evaluated, over a 5-year period (September 2014-August 2019), a population of hospitalized Italian children aged 0-6 years with a laboratory confirmed diagnosis of RSV infection. Risk factors, seasonality of RSV infection, distribution according to age, cases of coinfections and reinfections and cases needing Intensive Care Unit were evaluated. Hospitalizations due to RSV were 624 in the period under study. The peak was found between November and April, with 80.4% of cases recorded between December and February. 62.5% of cases were found in children under three months of age and 41% in children under 30 days old. The need for intensive care was associated with younger ages, with 70.9% of cases in children below three months of age. Unless the incoming vaccines demonstrate a strong herd protection effect, preventive strategies should be aimed at newborns or at maternal immunization.

Keywords: children; epidemiology; hospitalization; intensive care; respiratory syncytial virus; seasonal trend; vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Seasonal trend of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in Tuscany in each single study year and cumulative number of cases in the 5-year study period.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of cases of RSV infection: (a) cases divided by age expressed in years; (b) cases between 0–1 year-old divided by age expressed in months.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Cumulative number of cases admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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