Out-of-Season Epidemic of Respiratory Syncytial Virus during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The High Burden of Child Hospitalization in an Academic Hospital in Southern Italy in 2021
Daniela Loconsole,
Francesca Centrone,
Caterina Rizzo,
Désirée Caselli,
Azzurra Orlandi,
Fabio Cardinale,
Cristina Serio,
Paola Giordano,
Giuseppe Lassandro,
Leonardo Milella,
Maria Teresa Ficarella,
Maria Elisabetta Baldassarre,
Nicola Laforgia,
Maria Chironna
Affiliations
Daniela Loconsole
Hygiene Section, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Aldo Moro University, 70124 Bari, Italy
Francesca Centrone
Hygiene Section, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Aldo Moro University, 70124 Bari, Italy
Caterina Rizzo
Clinical Pathways and Epidemiology Function Area, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Piazza Sant’Onofrio, 4, 00165 Rome, Italy
Désirée Caselli
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, Giovanni XXIII Children Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico, 70124 Bari, Italy
Azzurra Orlandi
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, Giovanni XXIII Children Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico, 70124 Bari, Italy
Fabio Cardinale
Department of Pediatrics, Giovanni XXIII Children Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico, 70124 Bari, Italy
Cristina Serio
Department of Pediatrics, Giovanni XXIII Children Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico, 70124 Bari, Italy
Paola Giordano
Pediatric Unit, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Aldo Moro University, 70124 Bari, Italy
Giuseppe Lassandro
Pediatric Unit, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Aldo Moro University, 70124 Bari, Italy
Leonardo Milella
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Giovanni XXIII Children Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico, 70124 Bari, Italy
Maria Teresa Ficarella
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Giovanni XXIII Children Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico, 70124 Bari, Italy
Maria Elisabetta Baldassarre
Unit of Neonatology and Intensive Care, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, Aldo Moro University, 70124 Bari, Italy
Nicola Laforgia
Unit of Neonatology and Intensive Care, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Aldo Moro University, 70124 Bari, Italy
Maria Chironna
Hygiene Section, Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine, Aldo Moro University, 70124 Bari, Italy
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is the most common cause of hospitalization in young children. In the last 2 years, public health measures aimed at controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2 have affected the epidemiology and seasonality of RSV worldwide. The aim of this descriptive retrospective observational study was to describe the characteristics of children hospitalized with RSV in an academic tertiary care hospital in Southern Italy in 2021. We also investigate the seasonal trends of RSV from 2017 to 2021. The demographic characteristics, comorbidities, clinical data, and coinfections were retrospectively evaluated. Compared with previous seasons, the 2021 outbreak of RSV was characterized by an increased number of patients, with a delayed peak observed in November. Overall, 179 children, including 128 (71.5%) aged p < 0.05 each). History of prematurity was not significantly associated with the presence of coinfections. Because of the high burden of RSV infection and the expected larger RSV epidemics resulting from a greater number of RSV-naïve children, systematic epidemiological and virological surveillance is needed. Appropriate pathways for access to RSV prevention in all infants should also be introduced.
