Frontiers in Pediatrics (Nov 2022)

Identifying the research, advocacy, policy and implementation needs for the prevention and management of respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infection in low- and middle-income countries

  • Xavier Carbonell-Estrany,
  • Eric A. F Simões,
  • Eric A. F Simões,
  • Louis J Bont,
  • Angela Gentile,
  • Angela Gentile,
  • Nusrat Homaira,
  • Nusrat Homaira,
  • Marcelo Comerlato Scotta,
  • Marcelo Comerlato Scotta,
  • Renato T Stein,
  • Juan P Torres,
  • Jarju Sheikh,
  • Shobha Broor,
  • Najwa Khuri-Bulos,
  • D James Nokes,
  • D James Nokes,
  • Patrick K Munywoki,
  • Quique Bassat,
  • Quique Bassat,
  • Quique Bassat,
  • Quique Bassat,
  • Quique Bassat,
  • Arun K Sharma,
  • Sudha Basnet,
  • Sudha Basnet,
  • Maria Garba,
  • Joanne De Jesus-Cornejo,
  • Socorro P Lupisan,
  • Marta C Nunes,
  • Marta C Nunes,
  • Maduja Divarathna,
  • John R Fullarton,
  • Barry S Rodgers-Gray,
  • Ian Keary,
  • Mark Donald C Reñosa,
  • Charl Verwey,
  • David P Moore,
  • Faseeha Noordeen,
  • Sushil Kabra,
  • Marynéa Silva do Vale,
  • Rolando Paternina-De La Ossa,
  • Rolando Paternina-De La Ossa,
  • Cristina Mariño,
  • Josep Figueras-Aloy,
  • Leonard Krilov,
  • Eitan Berezin,
  • Heather J Zar,
  • Krishna Paudel,
  • Marco Aurelio Palazzi Safadi,
  • Ghassan Dbaibo,
  • Imane Jroundi,
  • Runa Jha,
  • Rukshan A. M Rafeek,
  • Rossiclei de Souza Pinheiro,
  • Marianne Bracht,
  • Rohitha Muthugala,
  • Marcello Lanari,
  • Federico Martinón-Torres,
  • Ian Mitchell,
  • Grace Irimu,
  • Apsara Pandey,
  • Apsara Pandey,
  • Anand Krishnan,
  • Asuncion Mejias,
  • Asuncion Mejias,
  • Marcela Santos Corrêa da Costa,
  • Shrijana Shrestha,
  • Jeffrey M Pernica,
  • Felipe Cotrim de Carvalho,
  • Rose E Jalango,
  • Hafsat Ibrahim,
  • Atana Ewa,
  • Gabriela Ensinck,
  • Rolando Ulloa-Gutierrez,
  • Alexandre Lopes Miralha,
  • Maria Florencia Lucion,
  • Maria Florencia Lucion,
  • Md Zakiul Hassan,
  • Zubair Akhtar,
  • Mohammad Abdul Aleem,
  • Fahmida Chowdhury,
  • Pablo Rojo,
  • Charles Sande,
  • Abednego Musau,
  • Khalequ Zaman,
  • Luiza Helena,
  • Falleiros Arlant,
  • Prakash Ghimire,
  • April Price,
  • Kalpana Upadhyay Subedi,
  • Helena Brenes-Chacon,
  • Doli Rani Goswami,
  • Mohammed Ziaur Rahman,
  • Mohammad Enayet Hossain,
  • Mohammod Jobayer Chisti,
  • Nestor E Vain,
  • Audrey Lim,
  • Aaron Chiu,
  • Jesse Papenburg,
  • Maria del Valle Juarez,
  • Maria del Valle Juarez,
  • Thamarasi Senaratne,
  • Shiyamalee Arunasalam,
  • Tor A Strand,
  • Adaeze Ayuk,
  • Olufemi Ogunrinde,
  • Lohanna Valeska de Sousa Tavares,
  • Comfort Garba,
  • Bilkisu I Garba,
  • Jeanette Dawa,
  • Michelle Gordon,
  • Eric Osoro,
  • Charles N Agoti,
  • Bryan Nyawanda,
  • Mwanajuma Ngama,
  • Collins Tabu,
  • Joseph L Mathew,
  • Andrew Cornacchia,
  • Ganesh Kumar Rai,
  • Amita Jain,
  • Mateus Sfoggia Giongo,
  • Bosco A Paes

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2022.1033125
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

Read online

IntroductionThe high burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in young children disproportionately occurs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The PROUD (Preventing RespiratOry syncytial virUs in unDerdeveloped countries) Taskforce of 24 RSV worldwide experts assessed key needs for RSV prevention in LMICs, including vaccine and newer preventive measures.MethodsA global, survey-based study was undertaken in 2021. An online questionnaire was developed following three meetings of the Taskforce panellists wherein factors related to RSV infection, its prevention and management were identified using iterative questioning. Each factor was scored, by non-panellists interested in RSV, on a scale of zero (very-low-relevance) to 100 (very-high-relevance) within two scenarios: (1) Current and (2) Future expectations for RSV management.ResultsNinety questionnaires were completed: 70 by respondents (71.4% physicians; 27.1% researchers/scientists) from 16 LMICs and 20 from nine high-income (HI) countries (90.0% physicians; 5.0% researchers/scientists), as a reference group. Within LMICs, RSV awareness was perceived to be low, and management was not prioritised. Of the 100 factors scored, those related to improved diagnosis particularly access to affordable point-of-care diagnostics, disease burden data generation, clinical and general education, prompt access to new interventions, and engagement with policymakers/payers were identified of paramount importance. There was a strong need for clinical education and local data generation in the lowest economies, whereas upper-middle income countries were more closely aligned with HI countries in terms of current RSV service provision.ConclusionSeven key actions for improving RSV prevention and management in LMICs are proposed.

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