Increased Pediatric Respiratory Syncytial Virus Case Counts Following the Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Can Be Attributed to Changes in Testing.
Clin Infect Dis
; 78(6): 1707-1717, 2024 Jun 14.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38602423
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) circulation dropped markedly early in the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by a resurgence with heightened case counts. The "immunity debt" hypothesis proposes that the RSV-naÑve pediatric population increased during the period of low transmission. However, the evidence supporting this hypothesis is limited, and the role of changing testing practices in the perceived surge has not been comprehensively evaluated.METHODS:
We conducted a multicenter, retrospective analysis of 342 530 RSV encounters and 980 546 RSV diagnostic tests occurring at 32 US pediatric hospitals in 2013-2023. We used interrupted time series analysis to estimate pandemic-associated changes in RSV patient and test volume and to quantify changes in the proportions of patients requiring hospitalization, intensive care, or mechanical ventilation. We quantified the fraction of the shifts in case counts and in the age of diagnosed patients attributable to changes in testing.RESULTS:
RSV patient volume increased 2.4-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7, 3.5) in 2021-2023 relative to the pre-pandemic phase and was accompanied by an 18.9-fold increase (95% CI 15.0, 23.9) in RSV test volume. Shifts in patient volume and in patient age were largely attributable to increased testing. The proportions of patients with RSV that required hospitalization, intensive care, or mechanical ventilation declined significantly across all patient age groups.CONCLUSIONS:
A surge in RSV testing, rather than in viral circulation, likely underlies the increased case counts observed in 2021-2023. These findings warrant a critical assessment of the immunity debt hypothesis and highlight the importance of considering the testing denominator when surveillance strategies are dynamic.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human
/
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Male
/
Newborn
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
Clin Infect Dis
Journal subject:
DOENCAS TRANSMISSIVEIS
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States
Country of publication:
United States