Abstract
For future decisions on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-vaccination strategies and implementation into national immunisation-programmes, we used national registry data (hospitalisation, microbiology and vital statistics) to determine the age-specific incidence and direct medical costs of annual RSV-associated admissions in children < 5 years-old for the period of 2010–2015. We identified ca 2,500 RSV-associated hospitalisations annually amounting to total direct medical-costs of ca EUR 4.1 million per year. The incidence of RSV-associated hospitalisations peaked in infants 1–2 months of age followed by infants 2–3 months of age, and infants < 1 month of age, respectively. Infant boys were at higher risk of severe RSV infection as compared to infant girls: male-to-female ratio peaked with 1.4 at four months of age and gradually levelled out with increasing age to 1.0 at 4 years of age. Five RSV-associated deaths were identified. Our findings demonstrate that in a western country as Denmark, RSV constitutes a considerable burden on childhood health. Furthermore, the best approach to reduce the high incidence of RSV-associated hospitalisations in young infants < 3 months of age may be maternal vaccination due to general challenges in achieving sufficient and protective immune responses in young infants.
Highlights
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of hospitalisation among children admitted for obstructive airway disease throughout the world [1,2]
When linking the national patient registry (NPR) information on hospital admission (Table 1) periods to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) test-positive results in microbiology test database (MiBa) by the unique personal identification number an additional 1,487 (12.1%) unique episodes of RSV-associated hospitalisations were identified in children with other respiratory diagnoses
We have investigated the burden of severe RSVassociated disease in children below 5 years of age in Denmark using a combination of population-based national registries
Summary
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of hospitalisation among children admitted for obstructive airway disease throughout the world [1,2]. RSV infections occur frequently in all age groups the youngest infants have the highest rates of RSV respiratory disease [3,4,5,6,7]. An estimated 3.4 million children younger than 5 years of age are hospitalised each year with severe RSV lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), with the highest incidence in children younger than 6 months of age [1]. Prematurity, heart and lung diseases and/ or immunosuppression are risk-factors for severe outcomes of RSV infection [11]. Natural RSV infection does not confer long lasting immunity against subsequent infection, and RSV infections may reoccur throughout a lifetime [11,12,13]
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