Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 May 10;13(5):147.
doi: 10.3390/diseases13050147.

Long-Term Trends in Respiratory Syncytial Virus A Infections (2007-2024) in Korea

Jeong Su Han  1 , Sung Hun Jang  2 , Jae-Sik Jeon  1 , Jae Kyung Kim  1
Affiliations

Long-Term Trends in Respiratory Syncytial Virus A Infections (2007-2024) in Korea

Jeong Su Han et al. Diseases. .

Abstract

Background/objectives: Respiratory syncytial virus A (RSV A) is the leading cause of respiratory infections, particularly in vulnerable populations. This study aimed to investigate the long-term epidemiological trends of RSV A infection in the Republic of Korea over an 18-year period (2007-2024), with emphasis on age, sex, and seasonal differences.

Methods: A total of 23,284 nasopharyngeal swab specimens were analyzed by multiplex real-time PCR. Statistical comparisons were performed using the chi-square test.

Results: The RSV A-positivity rate was highest in 2007 (19.7%) and lowest in 2021 (0.1%) (p < 0.001). Infants (0 years) exhibited the highest infection rate (18.5%, 95% CI: 17.3-19.6), whereas adults aged 20-64 years and older adults showed significantly lower rates (0.7% and 0.9%, respectively). Seasonal peaks occurred in winter (15.3%) and autumn (14.7%), indicating earlier onset of RSV A circulation. No significant difference was found between sexes (p = 0.196).

Conclusions: This study provides the first long-term retrospective analysis of RSV A trends in the Republic of Korea and reveals a shift toward an earlier seasonal onset. These findings support the need for earlier preventive strategies and optimized vaccination timing, particularly for high-risk groups, such as infants. These findings underscore the importance of seasonal variation and the potential influence of environmental factors, such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, and geographic latitude, on RSV A transmission patterns in Korea, although these variables were not directly analyzed in the present study and warrant further investigation.

Keywords: infant; public health studies; respiratory syncytial virus; seasons; virus diseases.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Annual respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A-positivity rate (%) between 2007 and 2024. The figure presents the annual positivity rates of respiratory syncytial virus A (RSV A) derived from PCR testing of 23,284 nasopharyngeal specimens collected at a single tertiary medical center.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chi-square distribution for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A-positivity by sex. The figure illustrates the distribution of RSV A-positive cases between male and female patients based on PCR results from nasopharyngeal specimens collected from 2007 to 2024.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of observed and expected respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) A-positive cases by age group. The figure compares the observed and expected numbers of RSV A-positive cases across four age groups (infants, children, adults, and older adults) based on long-term surveillance data.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Alfano F., Bigoni T., Caggiano F.P., Papi A. Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Older Adults: An Update. Drugs Aging. 2024;41:487–505. doi: 10.1007/s40266-024-01118-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Li Y., Wang X., Blau D.M., Caballero M.T., Feikin D.R., Gill C.J., Madhi S.A., Omer S.B., Simoes E.A.F., Campbell H., et al. Global, regional, and national disease burden estimates of acute lower respiratory infections due to respiratory syncytial virus in children younger than 5 years in 2019: A systematic analysis. Lancet. 2022;399:2047–2064. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00478-0. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hanage W.P., Schaffner W. Burden of Acute Respiratory Infections Caused by Influenza Virus, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, and SARS-CoV-2 with Consideration of Older Adults: A Narrative Review. Infect. Dis. Ther. 2025;14:5–37. doi: 10.1007/s40121-024-01080-4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nuttens C., Moyersoen J., Curcio D., Aponte-Torres Z., Baay M., Vroling H., Gessner B.D., Begier E. Differences Between RSV A and RSV B Subgroups and Implications for Pharmaceutical Preventive Measures. Infect. Dis. Ther. 2024;13:1725–1742. doi: 10.1007/s40121-024-01012-2. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Langley J.M., Bianco V., Domachowske J.B., Madhi S.A., Stoszek S.K., Zaman K., Bueso A., Ceballos A., Cousin L., D’Andrea U., et al. Incidence of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Lower Respiratory Tract Infections During the First 2 Years of Life: A Prospective Study Across Diverse Global Settings. J. Infect. Dis. 2022;226:374–385. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiac227. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources