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Center for Community Health & Prevention

Surveillance & Prevention

URMC / Center for Community Health & Prevention / Surveillance & Prevention / Emerging Infections Program / Respiratory Syncytial Virus
 

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

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). 

RSV graph 2019

* No pediatric data collected.

View the latest data for Monroe County on the RocHealthData dashboard. Get an in-depth and interactive look at the details, including number of ED visits, number of cases, rates by age group, and more.

Publications

Woodruff RC, Melgar M, Pham H, Sperling LS, Loustalot F, Kirley PD, Austin E, Yousey-Hindes K, Openo KP, Ryan P, Brown C, Lynfield R, Davis SS, Barney G, Tesini B, Sutton M, Talbot HK, Zahid H, Kim L, Havers FP; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalization Surveillance Network (RSV-NET). Acute Cardiac Events in Hospitalized Older Adults With Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection. JAMA Intern Med. 2024 Jun 1;184(6):602-611. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.0212. PMID: 38619857; PMCID: PMC11019447.

Havers FP, Whitaker M, Melgar M, Chatwani B, Chai SJ, Alden NB, Meek J, Openo KP, Ryan PA, Kim S, Lynfield R, Shaw YP, Barney G, Tesini BL, Sutton M, Talbot HK, Olsen KP, Patton ME; RSV-NET Surveillance Team. Characteristics and Outcomes Among Adults Aged ≥60 Years Hospitalized with Laboratory-Confirmed Respiratory Syncytial Virus - RSV-NET, 12 States, July 2022-June 2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023 Oct 6;72(40):1075-1082. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7240a1. PMID: 37796742; PMCID: PMC10564327.

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.