Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections among Hospitalized Children in Poland during 2010–2020: Study Based on the National Hospital Registry

Abstract

Background: Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is responsible for infections mainly affecting the lower respiratory tract in infants and young children after the first exposure. The aim of the study is to show up-to-date information on RSV hospitalization cases in Poland in children aged < 5 years. Methods: A retrospective, population-based study was conducted using data from hospital discharge records of patients hospitalized from 2010–2020. Results: The study group consisted of 57,552 hospitalizations of RSV children. The mean and median ages were 232 (95% CI: 230–234) and 132 (IQR 63–271) days. The mean annual hospitalization rate for patients with RSV infection was estimated to be 267.5 per 100,000, and the highest was observed in children < 1 year (1132.1 per 100,000). The mean annual hospitalization rate was significantly higher in patients living in urban than rural regions (p < 0.001). A statistically significant increase in the number of hospitalizations was observed (p < 0.0001) during the analyzed period. The seasonal pattern was found with the highest rates of hospitalizations in the January–March period. Conclusions: The increasing RSV hospitalization rate requires further research and may be the basis for urgent healthcare measures. The results may be helpful in comparative analyses in the European and global context.

Risk Factors for Severe Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Hospitalized Children

“…In Poland, as in many other European countries, a general trend of increase in RSV incidence and hospitalization has been reported, although this may be related to improvements in the diagnostic approach. Some authors even claim that in fact the rate of hospitalization remains stable, but the true magnitude of RSV epidemiology is being unravelled [6][7][8]. Interestingly, due to the introduction of public health measures related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, including social distancing or wearing masks, a temporary decrease in the Viruses 2023, 15, 1713 2 of 24 number of RSV cases was observed, but this was followed by a sharp increase in both RSV incidence and hospitalizations [9][10][11][12].…”

“…Interestingly, due to the introduction of public health measures related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, including social distancing or wearing masks, a temporary decrease in the Viruses 2023, 15, 1713 2 of 24 number of RSV cases was observed, but this was followed by a sharp increase in both RSV incidence and hospitalizations [9][10][11][12]. Although the mortality rate is rather low in high-income countries (e.g., 0.08% of all RSV patients in Poland), RSV is responsible for more than 100,000 deaths in children aged 0-60 months worldwide, mostly in low-and middle-income countries [2,6].…”

The European Union One Health 2022 Zoonoses Report

“…fresh produce, molluscs and raw milk) likely contributed to the reduced incidence of T. gondii infection during pregnancy in France, reflecting the lower number of congenital toxoplasmosis cases (Opsteegh et al., 2015; Robinson et al., 2021). By contrast, surveillance for congenital toxoplasmosis in other MSs is highly variable, with countries reporting zero cases or simply not reporting to ECDC or lacking surveillance (Rząd et al., 2023). This can result in abortion, stillbirth, perinatal death or congenital diseases with immediate or late (up to adolescence) manifestations, including ocular diseases, seizures and learning disabilities.…”

New Insights on Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prevention

“…Implementing non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing and isolation aimed at reducing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission also limited the spread of RSV [ 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. Currently, in Poland and other countries, an increase in RSV infections is reported, with an increasing number of infections among an older cohort of susceptible children [ 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. Also, changes in RSV seasonality patterns have been observed.…”