Abstract
BackgroundRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of severe respiratory illness in young children (< 5 years old) and older adults (≥ 65 years old) leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to recommend the implementation of a dedicated surveillance in countries.AimWe tested the capacity of the severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) hospital network to contribute to RSV surveillance in Belgium.MethodsDuring the 2018/19 influenza season, we started the SARI surveillance for influenza in Belgium in week 40, earlier than in the past, to follow RSV activity, which usually precedes influenza virus circulation. While the WHO SARI case definition for influenza normally used by the SARI hospital network was employed, flexibility over the fever criterion was allowed, so patients without fever but meeting the other case definition criteria could be included in the surveillance.ResultsBetween weeks 40 2018 and 2 2019, we received 508 samples from SARI patients. We found an overall RSV detection rate of 62.4% (317/508), with rates varying depending on the age group: 77.6% in children aged < 5 years (253/326) and 34.4% in adults aged ≥ 65 years (44/128). Over 90% of the RSV-positive samples also positive for another tested respiratory virus (80/85) were from children aged < 5 years. Differences were also noted between age groups for symptoms, comorbidities and complications.ConclusionWith only marginal modifications in the case definition and the period of surveillance, the Belgian SARI network would be able to substantially contribute to RSV surveillance and burden evaluation in children and older adults, the two groups of particular interest for WHO.
Highlights
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of acute lower respiratory infections in children [1]
Capturing the respiratory syncytial virus season through the severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) network From week 40 2018 until week 2 2019, the week of the official start of the influenza SARI surveillance for the six hospitals, the national influenza centre received a total of 578 samples from the three hospitals participating in the study, of which 508 were eligible based on the adopted case definition (Figure 1)
Some complications seemed more common among the RSV-positive patients: pneumonia (25/33), requirement for respiratory assistance (82/103), ARDS (12/15) and transfer to ICU (6/6) (Table 2). This pilot study showed that Belgian SARI network built to assess the severity of influenza viruses is able to capture the RSV activity if started earlier than usual
Summary
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of acute lower respiratory infections in children [1]. RSV is a major cause of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) in older adults (≥ 65 years old) [3,4,5]. To help decision-makers and to evaluate the impact of future vaccination, a dedicated surveillance is necessary This surveillance might shed light on several aspects of RSV epidemiology (e.g. seasonality, atrisk age groups, complications) in particular why/how certain parameters vary between different areas of the world [10]. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of severe respiratory illness in young children (< 5 years old) and older adults (≥ 65 years old) leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to recommend the implementation of a dedicated surveillance in countries. Aim: We tested the capacity of the severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) hospital network to contribute to RSV surveillance in Belgium. Conclusion: With only marginal modifications in the case definition and the period of surveillance, the Belgian SARI network would be able to substantially contribute to RSV surveillance and burden evaluation in children and older adults, the two groups of particular interest for WHO
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
