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Observational Study
. 2023 Jan 19;15(2):280.
doi: 10.3390/v15020280.

The Importance of RSV Epidemiological Surveillance: A Multicenter Observational Study of RSV Infection during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Giulia Pruccoli  1 , Emanuele Castagno  2 , Irene Raffaldi  2 , Marco Denina  2 , Elisa Barisone  3 , Luca Baroero  4 , Fabio Timeus  5 , Ivana Rabbone  6 , Alice Monzani  6 , Gian Maria Terragni  7 , Cristina Lovera  8 , Adalberto Brach Del Prever  9 , Paolo Manzoni  10 , Michelangelo Barbaglia  11 , Luca Roasio  12 , Simona De Franco  13 , Carmelina Calitri  14 , Maddalena Lupica  14 , Enrico Felici  15 , Cinzia Marciano  15 , Savino Santovito  16 , Gaia Militerno  17 , Enrica Abrigo  17 , Antonio Curtoni  18 , Paola Quarello  19 , Claudia Bondone  2 , Silvia Garazzino  1
Affiliations
Observational Study

The Importance of RSV Epidemiological Surveillance: A Multicenter Observational Study of RSV Infection during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Giulia Pruccoli et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

The restrictive measures adopted worldwide against SARS-CoV-2 produced a drastic reduction in respiratory pathogens, including RSV, but a dramatic rebound was thereafter reported. In this multicenter retrospective observational study in 15 Pediatric Emergency Departments, all children <3 years old with RSV infection admitted between 1 September and 31 December 2021 were included and compared to those admitted in the same period of 2020 and 2019. The primary aim was to evaluate RSV epidemiology during and after the COVID-19 pandemic peak. The secondary aims were to evaluate the clinical features of children with RSV infection. Overall, 1015 children were enrolled: 100 in 2019, 3 in 2020 and 912 in 2021. In 2019, the peak was recorded in December, and in 2021, it was recorded in November. Comparing 2019 to 2021, in 2021 the median age was significantly higher and the age group 2-3 years was more affected. Admissions were significantly higher in 2021 than in 2020 and 2019, and the per-year hospitalization rate was lower in 2021 (84% vs. 93% in 2019), while the duration of admissions was similar. No difference was found in severity between 2019-2020-2021. In conclusion, after the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in RSV cases in 2021 exceeding the median seasonal peak was detected, with the involvement of older children, while no difference was found in severity.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; coinfections; epidemiological surveillance; epidemiology; respiratory syncytial virus (RSV); seasonal peak.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hospital admissions for RSV-related infection by months (September-December) in 2019 and 2021: in 2019, the peak was recorded in December, while in 2021, the peak was recorded in November.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Weekly test results for RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 during the study periods of 2019 and 2021 at the major regional Pediatric Hospital (Regina Margherita Children’s Hospital, Turin). Data from 2020 were excluded considering the extremely low number of positive cases. RSV: Respiratory Syncytial Virus; Flu: influenza virus; SARS-CoV-2: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Risk of hospitalization and admission to PICU by age group.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Risk of hospitalization by age group in 2021 compared to 2019.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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