Respiratory syncytial virus: promising progress against a leading cause of pneumonia

Abstract

This World Pneumonia Day, as the global COVID-19 pandemic persists, another deadly and familiar, although under-recognised, respiratory virus requires attention: respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV is responsible for acute respiratory illness, including pneumonia, in people of all ages. Globally, RSV is the most common cause of severe lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) among infants younger than 6 months, almost all children are infected by age 2 years, and reinfection is common.1 Severe RSV can increase risk of bacterial coinfections and subsequent LRTI, particularly in young infants.