Publication date: Sep 13, 2025
With the newly approved RSV preventive strategies enabling universal protection of infants, it is crucial to gain a comprehensive understanding of RSV hospitalization incidence, prior to the introduction of these strategies in order to facilitate an assessment of their impact. Children ≤ 2 years hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection between 2020-2023 in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and United Kingdom were included and compared with the 2018-2019 season. The population-based incidence was calculated as number of RSV hospitalizations divided by market share-adjusted number of children in the catchment area. Across participating countries, we observed a decrease in RSV hospitalization incidence during the 2020-2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dropping to 5. 9/1000 child-years (95%CI 5. 4-6. 3) compared with 11. 3/1000 child-years (95%CI 10. 6-11. 9) in 2018-2019. This decline was followed by a rebound in incidence, with rates reaching 13. 8/1000 child-years (95%CI 13. 0-14. 5) in 2021-2022 and 18. 8/1000 child-years (95%CI 18. 0-19. 7) in 2022-2023. Distinct patterns of RSV resurgence were observed across countries. During the 2020-2021 season, there was an increase in PICU admissions (29. 5% vs 20. 0% pre-pandemic, p
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Children2years | Children |
| Hospitalizations | COVID-19 pandemic |
| Pandemic | Population-based incidence |
| Spain | RSV |
| RSV hospitalization |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | RSV infection |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 pandemic |