Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Purpose
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a respiratory virus that causes cold-like symptoms that can be severe in the very young and the elderly. Multiple RSV vaccines are currently in development. Surveillance for RSV is conducted among hospitalized persons in Monroe County to estimate age-specific RSV hospitalization rates and describe age-specific RSV mortality.
Goals and Objectives
- Describe characteristics of patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed RSV.
- Estimate proportion of severe RSV-associated outcomes including secondary bacterial infection and admission to the intensive care unit among hospitalized patients.
- Assess risk factors for RSV-associated complications among hospitalized patients.
Activities
Surveillance for RSV in Monroe County began in 2017 with retrospective data collected back to 2014. The surveillance period is October 1 through April 30 of each year. Prior to the 2018-2019 season, data were collected only on adults 18 years of age and older. During the 2018-2019 season, surveillance was expanded to include all ages. Lists of potential cases are provided by the local virology laboratories and investigated to collect data on demographics, underlying conditions, bacterial and viral testing, antiviral administration and outcomes. The incidence of RSV hospitalizations in Monroe County is varied over seasons and mirrors national trends with incidence highest in children 0 to 4 years of age and adults 85 years of age and older (Figure 1).

* No pediatric data collected.
Latest 2022-2023 Surveillance Report
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Publications
- Kujawski SA, Whitaker M, Ritchey MD, Reingold AL, Chai SJ, Anderson EJ, Openo KP, Monroe M, Ryan P, Bye E, Como-Sabetti K, Barney GR, Muse A, Bennett NM, Felsen CB, Thomas A, Crawford C, Talbot HK, Schaffner W, Gerber SI, Langley GE, Kim L. Rates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated hospitalization among adults with congestive heart failure-United States, 2015-2017. PLoS One. 2022 Mar 9;17(3):e0264890. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264890. PMID: 35263382; PMCID: PMC8906631.
- Holmen JE, Kim L, Cikesh B, Kirley PD, Chai SJ, Bennett NM, Felsen CB, Ryan P, Monroe M, Anderson EJ, Openo KP, Como-Sabetti K, Bye E, Talbot HK, Schaffner W, Muse A, Barney GR, Whitaker M, Ahern J, Rowe C, Langley G, Reingold A. Relationship between neighborhood census-tract level socioeconomic status and respiratory syncytial virus-associated hospitalizations in U.S. adults, 2015-2017. BMC Infect Dis. 2021 Mar 23;21(1):293. doi: 10.1186/s12879-021-05989-w. PMID: 33757443; PMCID: PMC7986301.