A surge in respiratory syncytial virus infection-related hospitalizations associated with the Covid-19 pandemic

An observational study at pediatric emergency referral hospitals in Tokushima Prefecture

Dados Bibliográficos

ID19592129
AutoresKoichi Shichijo (0000-0002-8448-4895, Tokushima Prefectural Central Hospital, autor correspondente), Shoko Fukura (Tokushima Prefectural Central Hospital, autor correspondente), Shunsuke Takeuchi (0000-0002-9837-2499, Tokushima Prefectural Central Hospital, autor correspondente), Takahiro Tayama (Tokushima Prefectural Central Hospital, autor correspondente), Akemi Ono (0000-0002-9489-3967, Tokushima Prefectural Central Hospital, autor correspondente), Yuko Ichihara (0000-0002-5970-2547, Tokushima Prefectural Central Hospital, autor correspondente), Kenichi Suga (0000-0003-3588-4347, Tokushima Prefectural Central Hospital, autor correspondente), Hiroki Sato (0000-0003-2290-2286, Tokushima Red Cross Hospital, autor correspondente), Atsumi Takechi (Tokushima Red Cross Hospital, autor correspondente), Sonomi Matsumoto (Tokushima Red Cross Hospital, autor correspondente), Shuji Fujino (Tokushima Red Cross Hospital, autor correspondente), Takako Taniguchi (0000-0001-9388-9969, Tokushima Red Cross Hospital, autor correspondente), Akiyoshi Takahashi (Tokushima Red Cross Hospital, autor correspondente), Tsutomu Watanabe (0000-0002-9582-4656, Tokushima Red Cross Hospital, autor correspondente), Shuji Kondo (0000-0003-4875-0786, Tokushima Prefectural Central Hospital, autor correspondente)
EditoresEverton Falcão De Oliveira (0000-0002-0074-5278)
Ano2023
Volume3
Fascículo6
Páginase0001974
Data de publicação2023-06-02
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoPLOS Global Public Health (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2767-3375 • E-ISSN: 2767-3375
EditoraPublic Library of Science (PLoS) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1371/journal.pgph.0001974
PMID37267243
OpenAlexW4379197084
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas1
Referências citadas8

The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) resulted in implementation of social distancing and other public health measures to control the spread of infection and improve prevention, resulting in a decrease in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and pediatric respiratory tract infection rates. However, there was a rapid and large re-emergence of RSV infection in Japan. Notably, we were faced with a difficult situation wherein there was a shortage of hospital beds. This study aimed to examine the epidemiological patterns of RSV-related hospitalizations among children before and after the COVID-19 pandemic onset at two pediatric emergency referral hospitals covering the entire Tokushima Prefecture. Data were extracted from electronic medical records of children hospitalized with RSV infection between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2021. All patients meeting the eligibility criteria were included in this study. The rates of study outcomes were documented annually during 2018–2021 and compared between the 2018–2020 and 2021 periods. In 2020, there was no RSV infection outbreak. Hospitalizations at the peak week in 2021 were 2.2- and 2.8-fold higher than those in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Hospitalizations in 2021 were concentrated within a short period. In addition, there was a significant increase in hospitalizations among children aged 3–5 months and those older than 24 months. The high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) use rate nearly doubled in 2021. A new pandemic in the future may cause an outbreak of RSV infection that can result in an intensive increase in the number of hospitalizations of pediatric patients requiring respiratory support, especially in infants aged

Cannula · Disease · Family medicine · Infection control · Intensive care medicine · Nasal cannula · Observational study · Outbreak · Pandemic · Public health · Referral · Medicine · Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections · Respiratory viral infections research · Tracheal and airway disorders · Emergency Medicine · Epidemiology · Internal Medicine · Pediatrics · Surgery · Virology