Epidemiological characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus in children

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common respiratory diseases, causing more than 30 million cases of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) and 3 million hospitalizations worldwide each year [1]. RSV is especially dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, chronic lung or heart diseases, and for people under 5 years of age or over 65 years of age. RSV is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infection (eg, bronchiolitis) in children under 1 year of age [5]. The incidence of RSV hospitalization is highest among infants younger than 6 months (2 percent per year, 95% CI 0.1–4), and significantly higher in premature infants younger than 1 year (6 percent per year, 95% CI 4–11). In an international multicenter case-control study, RSV was the most common pathogen isolated from children aged 1 to 59 months hospitalized with severe pneumonia in Africa and Asia, accounting for 31 percent of cases [24].

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