Respiratory syncytial virus seasonality and its implications on prevention strategies

Abstract

With maternal and infant vaccines against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in development, it is timely to consider how the deployment of these vaccines might vary according to local RSV disease seasonality. In temperate regions RSV infection is predictably limited to a period of 3 to 5 months, while in tropical regions disease seasonality is often both more variable and more prolonged. Accordingly, in tropical regions a year-round immunisation schedule for both maternal and infant immunisation might be appropriate. In contrast, in temperate regions the benefit of year-round maternal immunisation would be heavily dependent on the duration of protection this provided, potentially necessitating a strategy directed at children due to be born in the months immediately prior to the RSV season. This review will consider the impact of seasonality on maternal and infant immunisation strategies against RSV, and the potential of an alternative approach of passive immunisation for all infants immediately prior to the RSV season.

Keywords

• respiratory syncytial virus
• immunisation
• public health
• seasonality
• maternal immunisation