RSV Epidemiology in Australia Before and During COVID-19

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 public health measures have altered respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) epidemiology, resulting in an unseasonal summer epidemic in Australia in 2020. We aimed to determine if the shifted RSV epidemic was more severe compared with previous years or if age-specific changes were associated with the resurgence. METHODS: Through this multicenter study, we analyzed routinely collected datasets from the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network in southeast Australia. We examined overall trends in RSV-related disease in children aged <16 years in 2020 compared with 2014–2019. We compared observed and expected counts for RSV infections, RSV-related hospitalizations, and emergency department visits for acute respiratory illness. RESULTS: In 2020, there was a shift in the peak of RSV-related disease from autumn and winter to early summer. Compared with previous years, the overall frequency of RSV infections increased in children aged 2 to 4 years (83.91%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 34.21% to 192.07%; P < .01). There was also an increase in the peak case counts of RSV infections and RSV-coded hospitalizations for some age groups. There was an overall reduction of RSV-coded hospitalizations (−31.80%; 95% CI, −41.13% to −18.96%; P < .01) and ICU admissions (−44.63%; 95% CI, −60.76% to −5.96%; P < .05) in 2020 compared with previous years. CONCLUSIONS: Our observations provide evidence that the shifted 2020 RSV season was no more severe than previous years. Increased RSV infections in children aged 2 to 4 years may be explained by a buildup in age-specific population susceptibility and increased testing in older children.

Resurgence of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection During COVID-19 Pandemic Among Children in Shanghai, China

“…Our study indicated that the severity of the delayed RSV seasons during COVID-19 in Shanghai was decreased, as evidenced by less frequent respiratory failure and severe LRTI cases than before, which was similar with the studies conducted in Australia and France, characterized by fewer hospitalizations and ICU admissions ( Fourgeaud et al, 2021 ; Foley et al, 2022 ; Saravanos et al, 2022 ). However, the impacts of the delayed RSV season on patients might vary in different settings.…”

“…In this study, we observed an unusual increase of the RSV detection rate in the summer of 2021 in Shanghai. Interestingly, the abnormal reemergence of RSV during COVID-19 was also observed during the summer months in both northern hemisphere countries including Japan, America, Canada, Israel, Italy ( Public Health Agency of Canada, 2021 ; Ujiie et al, 2021 ; Weinberger Opek et al, 2021 ; Camporesi et al, 2022 ; The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022 ), and southern hemisphere countries including Australia and New Zealand ( Agha and Avner, 2021 ; Anglemyer et al, 2021 ; Foley et al, 2021 , 2022 ; Dolores et al, 2022 ; Saravanos et al, 2022 ). Hence, our findings reflected a global phenomenon.…”

“…However, the unexpected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exerted extraordinary changes to community behavior at a population level and remarkably restricted the prevalence of respiratory pathogens ( Liu et al, 2021 ; Jia et al, 2022 ). However, along with the normalization of the COVID-19 epidemic control, an atypical reemergence of RSV was reported in various places ( Agha and Avner, 2021 ; Foley et al, 2021 ; Government of Western Australia, 2021 ; Ujiie et al, 2021 ; Camporesi et al, 2022 ; Eden et al, 2022 ; Saravanos et al, 2022 ). Hence, we conducted this research to determine if RSV also resurged in Shanghai in the setting of COVID-19 pandemic and to demonstrate the differences between the resurgence with the previous RSV season.…”

Out-of-Season Influenza during a COVID-19 Void in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Temperature Matters

“…As the pandemic progressed, other respiratory viruses were shown to circulate off-season, frequently during a period of SARS-CoV-2 decline, a phenomenon likely driven by changing weather patterns, other prevailing competing viruses in the ecosystem and possibly limited use of mitigating measures such as masks and social distancing [ 27 ]. One such example is respiratory syncytial virus, which occurred off-season in the summer of 2021 in the United States, Japan and Australia, also coinciding with a low COVID-19 case load [ 28 , 29 , 30 ]. In South Africa, a similar phenomenon was observed where influenza circulated off-season [ 31 ].…”

Developing artificial intelligence technology for pediatric pulmonology: Lessons from COVID‐19

“…2 Furthermore, the pandemic shifted the epidemiology and impact of other respiratory viruses for the pediatric population. 3 For instance, respiratory syncytial virus, an aggressive pathogen in infants, reached an unprecedented peak in the summer–fall of 2021. It is important to remember that even before the pandemic, respiratory illnesses were the top cause of hospitalization and death in children.…”