Abstract
Abstract Background Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of hospitalizations in young children. Previous studies in Taiwan demonstrated seasonality of RSV hospitalization (RSVH) in young children was rather year-round with small peaks in spring and fall. This study aims to investigate recent seasonality patterns of RSVH in Taiwan using latest National Health Insurance (NHI) database. Methods We linked Taiwan birth cohort database to the NHI database for the years 2016-2020. Children < 5 years having hospital admission record with RSV ICD-10 coding were defined as having RSVH. To assess the correlations between RSVH with monthly average temperature/humidity, we used data from 2016-2019 (not including 2020 due to unusual RSV endemic) and by geographic region (Northern, Central, and Southern Taiwan). Results In children < 1 year, the annual RSVH incidence increased steadily from 1.32% in 2016, 1.55% in 2017, 1.60% in 2018, 1.67% in 2019, to 1.71% in 2020 (p=0.03). In contrast, for children aged 1-4 years, the annual RSVH incidence remained somewhat stable from 0.29%, 0.33%, 0.36%, 0.31% from 2016 to 2019, then substantially increased to 0.76% in 2020 (a 2.47-fold increase compared to 2019, p=0.22). Only one RSVH peak was observed per year for both age groups: in May for 2016, September for 2017-2019 and November for 2020. Temperature and RSVH showed high correlation among years 2016-2019, with correlation coefficients 0.64-0.68 and 0.64-0.66 in children aged < 1 and 1-4 years, respectively. However, RSVH only showed low to moderate correlation with humidity in both age groups. Conclusion The previously established seasonality patterns of RSVH in Taiwan were disrupted. A higher RSVH incidence for children aged 1-4 years was noted during 2020 endemic than previous years. Only one RSVH peak was observed in 2016-2020, and its correlation with temperature was high. Disclosures Ching-Hu Chung, PhD, Sanofi and AstraZeneca: Grant/Research Support Szu-Ying Tsai, n/a, Sanofi: employe Ting-Yu Yeh, n/a, Sanofi: employe
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