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Epidemiology and clinical profile of paediatric RSV infections: insights from a 6-year Australian cohort study
  1. Jane Tuckerman1,2,3,
  2. Jeremy Anderson2,3,
  3. Annette Alafaci2,
  4. Paul V Licciardi2,3,
  5. Andrew Steer2,3,4,
  6. Ian Barr5,6,
  7. Nigel W Crawford2,3,4,
  8. Danielle Wurzel1,2,3,4 RCH RSV Research Group
  1. 1Allergy and Lung Health Unit, Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The University of Melbourne, Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  2. 2Infection, Immunity and Global Health, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
  3. 3Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  4. 4Royal Children’s Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  5. 5World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  6. 6Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  1. Correspondence to Dr Jane Tuckerman; jane.tuckerman{at}mcri.edu.au

https://doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2025-328666

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    Many Australian states experienced unpredictable patterns of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection during the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding the profile of children with severe RSV infections and changes in the pandemic era may inform RSV prevention programmes. While we previously described the out-of-season surge of RSV infections on relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs)1 and predictors of severe RSV in the pre-pandemic era,2 this paper includes additional data and secondary analysis. The aims of this study were to describe the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on (1) the epidemiology of RSV infections, (2) the clinical profile and (3) the severity of children hospitalised with RSV infections in a single paediatric hospital in Melbourne, Australia.

    In this retrospective cohort study, we used data from children (<2 years) hospitalised for laboratory-confirmed RSV infection over six RSV seasons (1 January 2017 and 31 December 2022). Data were collected as part of the WHO RSV surveillance3 and CAMEO-RSV study2 (Clinical And Molecular Epidemiology And Immune Characteristics Of Respiratory …

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    Footnotes

    • Collaborators The following are the members of the RCH RSV Research Group: Jane Tuckerman, Jeremy Anderson, Lien Anh Ha Do, Annette Alafaci, Sarah McNab, Hannah Ilhan, Paul V Licciardi, Andrew J Daley, Andrew Steer, Ian Barr, Nigel W Crawford, Danielle Wurzel.

    • Contributors All authors contributed to the study conception and design. AA, DW, JA and HI contributed to data collection, with project administration led by AA. JT led the data analysis with verification from JA. JT led writing the original draft. All members of the RCH RSV Research Group contributed to the study conception and design, data interpretation and writing—review and editing of the final draft.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests JT and DW are named on an investigator-led project grant sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline. DW has received consultancy fees from Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) and Praxhub, which have been directed to a research fund. AA, IB and NC have received funding from the Australian Department of Health for RSV hospitalisation surveillance in children under 2 years, as part of a WHO-led international RSV surveillance project. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.