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. 2022 Aug;120(4):269-273.
doi: 10.5546/aap.2022.eng.269. Epub 2022 May 4.

Respiratory syncytial virus and influenza surveillance in schoolchildren seen at a children's hospital over 2 months of the second semester of 2021

[Article in English, Spanish]
Ana S Orqueda  1 , María F Lucion  2 , María de V Juárez  2 , Raquel Barquez  3 , Patricia Stach  4 , Ana Nievas  4 , Luisina F Losi  4 , Ramiro F Suárez  4 , Lucía Romero Bollón  2 , María N Pejito  2 , Alicia S Mistchenko  5 , Ángela Gentile  2
Affiliations

Respiratory syncytial virus and influenza surveillance in schoolchildren seen at a children's hospital over 2 months of the second semester of 2021

[Article in English, Spanish]
Ana S Orqueda et al. Arch Argent Pediatr. 2022 Aug.

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Introduction: Reporting of respiratory infections reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective was to estimate the prevalence of respiratory syncytial virus(RSV) and influenza in schoolchildren seen at a children's hospital during the return to school.

Methods: Cross-sectional study of patients aged 3-18 years suspected of COVID-19 with a negative test for SARS-CoV-2 between August and October 2021. Participants were stratified by level of education. PCR was used to detect RSV and influenza.

Results: A total of 619 children were included: 234 in pre-school, 224 in primary and 161 in secondary school; 25.5% (158) tested positive for RSV (36.3% in the pre-school level versus 21% in primary and 16% in secondary school). Infection among adolescents was associated with school contact with symptomatic cases (OR 2.5; 95%CI 1-6.80; p = 0.04). No case of influenza was detected.

Conclusions: RSV was isolated in one fourth of the study population, with a higher frequency in pre-school; among adolescents, it was associated with school contact with symptomatic cases. No case of influenza was detected.

Introducción. Durante la pandemia de COVID-19, disminuyeron las notificaciones de infecciones respiratorias. El objetivo fue estimar la prevalencia de virus sincicial respiratorio (VSR) e influenza en niños escolarizados asistidos en un hospital pediátrico durante el retorno a la presencialidad. Métodos. Estudio transversal de casos sospechosos de COVID-19, de 3-18 años, con prueba negativa para SARS-CoV-2, entre agosto y octubre de 2021. Se estratificó por nivel educativo. Se utilizó PCR para detectar VSR e influenza. Resultados. Se incluyeron 619 niños: 234 del nivel inicial, 224 del primario y 161 del secundario; 25,5 % (158) fueron positivos para VSR (36,3 % del nivel inicial versus 21 % del primario y 16 % del secundario); en adolescentes se asoció la infección al contacto escolar con caso sintomático (OR 2,5; IC95%: 1-6,80; p = 0,04). No se aisló virus influenza. Conclusión. VSR se aisló en un cuarto de la población estudiada, con mayor frecuencia en el nivel inicial; en adolescentes, se asoció con contacto escolar sintomático. No se detectaron casos de influenza.

Keywords: COVID-19; education; influenza; respiratory infections; respiratory syncytial virus.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

References

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