Burden and severity of children’s hospitalizations by
respiratory syncytial virus in Portugal, 2015–2018
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is responsible for seasonal diseases causing a great burden on healthcare systems across the world.1 RSV is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in children and a major driver of childhood hospitalizations.2–5 The clinical manifestations can range from mild to severe respiratory infections, including bronchiolitis and pneumonia.1 Globally, 33.0 million RSVassociated ALRI episodes were estimated to have occurred in children <5 years in 2019, causing around 3.6 million RSV-associated ALRI hospital admissions, 26,300 RSV-associated ALRI in-hospital deaths, and 101,400 RSV-attributable overall deaths.5 Nearly 20% of the infections, 39% of the hospitalizations, 51% of the in-hospital mortality, and 45% of the total RSV-attributable overall deaths across the world occurred in infants younger than 6 months.5 Preterm infants or children with underlying medical conditions are more likely to suffer from serious disease and have higher rates of morbidity and mortality.1 Furthermore, children with severe RSV infection early in life are at greater risk of developing subsequent wheezing, hyperreactive airway disease, and asthma in later childhood.
*All references can be found on the document bellow
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