Out-of-Season Epidemic of Respiratory Syncytial Virus during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The High Burden of Child Hospitalization in an Academic Hospital in Southern Italy in 2021

Loconsole, Daniela; Centrone, Francesca; Rizzo, Caterina; Caselli, Desireé; Orlandi, Azzurra; Cardinale, Fabio; Serio, Cristina; Giordano, Paola; Lassandro, Giuseppe; Milella, Leonardo; Ficarella, Maria; Martire, Baldassarre; Laforgia, Nicola; Chironna, Maria

doi:10.3390/children9060848

Cited by 25 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Moreover, a delayed peak with increasing RSV cases was also noted in November 2021. 70 An early RSV season was detected in Finland after the lifting of PHSMs in September 2021. 71 A seasonality shift was observed in Portugal as well.…”

Section: Dovepressmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: A Narrative Review

Chuang¹,

Lin²,

Wang³

et al. 2023

IDR

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Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common respiratory viruses. It not only affects young children but also the elderly and immunocompromised patients. After the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era, a dramatic reduction in RSV activity was found, which coincided with the implementation of public health and social measures (PHSMs). However, the correlation is more complicated than we initially thought. After PHSMs were gradually lifted, a seasonality shift and a delayed RSV outbreak with greater number of infected patients were found in numerous countries, such as Israel, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, France, United States, and Japan. Several hypotheses and possible reasons explaining the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and RSV were mentioned. Since RSV vaccinations are still under investigation, administration of palivizumab should be considered in high-risk patients. In the post-COVID-19 era, greater attention should be paid to a further resurgence of RSV. In this narrative review, we conducted a thorough review of the current knowledge on the epidemiology of RSV during the COVID-19 era, the out-of-season outbreak of RSV, and the data on co-infection with RSV and SARS-CoV-2.

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Section: Dovepressmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: A Narrative Review

Chuang¹,

Lin²,

Wang³

et al. 2023

IDR

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“…The public health measures adopted against COVID‐19 pandemic significantly influenced the epidemiology of RSV [ 28 , 29 , 30 ]. This has been described in 2021, when Italy suffered a seasonal shift of RSV epidemic, with a beginning in August and a delayed peak in November [ 31 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

RSV Disease Burden in Primary Care in Italy: A Multi‐Region Pediatric Study, Winter Season 2022–2023

Scarpaci,

Bracaloni,

Esposito

et al. 2024

Influenza Resp Viruses

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IntroductionHuman respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most frequent causes of respiratory infections in children under 5 years of age, but its socioeconomic impact and burden in primary care settings is still little studied.MethodsDuring the 2022/2023 winter season, 55 pediatricians from five Italian regions participated in our community‐based study. They collected a nasal swab for RSV molecular test from 650 patients under the age of 5 with acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and performed a baseline questionnaire. The clinical and socioeconomic burden of RSV disease in primary care was evaluated by two follow‐up questionnaires completed by the parents of positive children on Days 14 and 30.ResultsRSV laboratory‐confirmed cases were 37.8% of the total recruited ARI cases, with RSV subtype B accounting for the majority (65.4%) of RSV‐positive swabs. RSV‐positive children were younger than RSV‐negative ones (median 12.5 vs. 16.5 months). The mean duration of symptoms for all children infected by RSV was 11.47 ± 6.27 days. We did not observe substantial differences in clinical severity between the two RSV subtypes, but RSV‐A positive patients required more additional pediatric examinations than RSV‐B cases. The socioeconomic impact of RSV infection was considerable, causing 53% of children to be absent from school, 46% of parents to lose working days, and 25% of families to incur extra costs.ConclusionsOur findings describe a baseline of the RSV disease burden in primary care in Italy before the introduction of upcoming immunization strategies.

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“…6 7 An epidemic of RSV infection took place in Europe during autumn 2021. [8][9][10][11] Data on SARS-CoV-2 infection in infants suggest that in most cases it presents as a mild disease. 12 In particular, a multicentre international study showed that only 3% of infants testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 developed symptoms consistent with bronchiolitis.…”

Section: Original Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

SARS-CoV-2-related bronchiolitis: a multicentre international study

et al. 2023

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BackgroundBronchiolitis is the main acute lower respiratory tract infection in infants. Data regarding SARS-CoV-2-related bronchiolitis are limited.ObjectiveTo describe the main clinical characteristics of infants with SARS-CoV-2-related bronchiolitis in comparison with infants with bronchiolitis associated with other viruses.Setting, patients, interventionsA multicentre retrospective study was conducted in 22 paediatric emergency departments (PED) in Europe and Israel. Infants diagnosed with bronchiolitis, who had a test for SARS-CoV-2 and were kept in clinical observation in the PED or admitted to hospital from 1 May 2021 to 28 February 2022 were considered eligible for participation. Demographic and clinical data, diagnostic tests, treatments and outcomes were collected.Main outcome measuresThe main outcome was the need for respiratory support in infants testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 compared with infants testing negative.Results2004 infants with bronchiolitis were enrolled. Of these, 95 (4.7%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Median age, gender, weight, history of prematurity and presence of comorbidities did not differ between the SARS-CoV-2-positive and SARS-CoV-2-negative infants. Human metapneumovirus and respiratory syncytial virus were the viruses most frequently detected in the group of infants negative for SARS-CoV-2.Infants testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 received oxygen supplementation less frequently compared with SARS-CoV-2-negative patients, 37 (39%) vs 1076 (56.4%), p=0.001, OR 0.49 (95% CI 0.32 to 0.75). They received less ventilatory support: 12 (12.6%) high flow nasal cannulae vs 468 (24.5%), p=0.01; 1 (1.0%) continuous positive airway pressure vs 125 (6.6%), p=0.03, OR 0.48 (95% CI 0.27 to 0.85).ConclusionsSARS-CoV-2 rarely causes bronchiolitis in infants. SARS-CoV-2-related bronchiolitis mostly has a mild clinical course.

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Out-of-Season Epidemic of Respiratory Syncytial Virus during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The High Burden of Child Hospitalization in an Academic Hospital in Southern Italy in 2021

Cited by 25 publications

References 44 publications

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: A Narrative Review

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: A Narrative Review

RSV Disease Burden in Primary Care in Italy: A Multi‐Region Pediatric Study, Winter Season 2022–2023

SARS-CoV-2-related bronchiolitis: a multicentre international study

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