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. 2021 Mar 30;8(7):ofab159.
doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab159. eCollection 2021 Jul.

The Global Epidemiology of RSV in Community and Hospitalized Care: Findings From 15 Countries

Lisa Staadegaard  1 , Saverio Caini  1 , Sonam Wangchuk  2 , Binay Thapa  2 , Walquiria Aparecida Ferreira de Almeida  3 , Felipe Cotrim de Carvalho  3 , Richard Njouom  4 , Rodrigo A Fasce  5 , Patricia Bustos  6 , Jan Kyncl  7   8 , Ludmila Novakova  9 , Alfredo Bruno Caicedo  10   11 , Domenica Joseth de Mora Coloma  10 , Adam Meijer  12 , Mariëtte Hooiveld  1 , Sue Huang  13 , Tim Wood  13 , Raquel Guiomar  14 , Ana Paula Rodrigues  14 , Daria Danilenko  15 , Kirill Stolyarov  15 , Vernon Jian Ming Lee  16   17 , Li Wei Ang  16   18 , Cheryl Cohen  19   20 , Jocelyn Moyes  19   20 , Amparo Larrauri  21 , Concepción Delgado-Sanz  21 , Mai Quynh Le  22 , Phuong Vu Mai Hoang  22 , Clarisse Demont  23 , Mathieu Bangert  23 , Jojanneke van Summeren  1 , Michel Dückers  1   24   25 , John Paget  1
Affiliations

The Global Epidemiology of RSV in Community and Hospitalized Care: Findings From 15 Countries

Lisa Staadegaard et al. Open Forum Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the leading causes of acute respiratory tract infections. To optimize control strategies, a better understanding of the global epidemiology of RSV is critical. To this end, we initiated the Global Epidemiology of RSV in Hospitalized and Community care study (GERi).

Methods: Focal points from 44 countries were approached to join GERi and share detailed RSV surveillance data. Countries completed a questionnaire on the characteristics of their surveillance system.

Results: Fifteen countries provided granular surveillance data and information on their surveillance system. A median (interquartile range) of 1641 (552-2415) RSV cases per season were reported from 2000 and 2020. The majority (55%) of RSV cases occurred in the <1-year-olds, with 8% of cases reported in those aged ≥65 years. Hospitalized cases were younger than those in community care. We found no age difference between RSV subtypes and no clear pattern of dominant subtypes.

Conclusions: The high number of cases in the <1-year-olds indicates a need to focus prevention efforts in this group. The minimal differences between RSV subtypes and their co-circulation implies that prevention needs to target both subtypes. Importantly, there appears to be a lack of RSV surveillance data in the elderly.

Keywords: epidemiology: RSV; respiratory infections; surveillance.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
A–B, Number of RSV cases per month in the <1-year-old age category in community and hospitalized care. “Age, mo” on the x-axis refers to the age of the child. The overall number of cases in the <1-year-old category was taken to calculate the proportion of cases in a given month. Abbreviation: RSV, respiratory syncytial virus.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Proportion of RSV A & B cases per season (n = 34; seasons ordered by increasing proportion RSV A) among subtyped results. Countries included were the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, and Singapore, and data from both community and hospitalized care are combined. Proportion distribution was calculated by country for all included seasons. The dark line in the middle indicates the median proportion of both RSV A and B per season, and the dark lines on the left and right indicate the interquartile range. Abbreviation: RSV, respiratory syncytial virus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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