BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the leading causes of acute respiratory tract infections. To optimize control strategies, a better understanding of the global epidemiology of RSV is critical. To this end, we initiated the Global Epidemiology of RSV in Hospitalized and Community care study (GERi). METHODS: Focal points from 44 countries were approached to join GERi and share detailed RSV surveillance data. Countries completed a questionnaire on the characteristics of their surveillance system. RESULTS: Fifteen countries provided granular surveillance data and information on their surveillance system. A median (interquartile range) of 1641 (552-2415) RSV cases per season were reported from 2000 and 2020. The majority (55%) of RSV cases occurred in the <1-year-olds, with 8% of cases reported in those aged ≥65 years. Hospitalized cases were younger than those in community care. We found no age difference between RSV subtypes and no clear pattern of dominant subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: The high number of cases in the <1-year-olds indicates a need to focus prevention efforts in this group. The minimal differences between RSV subtypes and their co-circulation implies that prevention needs to target both subtypes. Importantly, there appears to be a lack of RSV surveillance data in the elderly.

ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre Diemen the Netherlands

Centre for Respiratory Disease and Meningitis National Institute for Communicable Diseases Johannesburg South Africa

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics 3rd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Department of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology National Institute of Public Health Prague Czech Republic

Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences University of Groningen Groningen the Netherlands

Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited Upper Hutt New Zealand

Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Salud Pública Centro de Referencia Nacional de Influenza y otros Virus Respiratorios Guayaquil Ecuador

Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge Lisbon Portugal

Ministry of Health Brasilia Brazil

Ministry of Health Singapore

National Centre for Infectious Diseases Singapore

National Centre of Epidemiology CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública Madrid Spain

National Institute for Public Health and the Environment Bilthoven the Netherlands

National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Hanoi Vietnam

National Reference Laboratory for Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses National Institute of Public Health Prague Czech Republic

Nivel Utrecht the Netherlands

Royal Centre for Disease Control Ministry of Health Thimphu Bhutan

Sanofi Pasteur Lyon France

Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health Singapore

School of Public Health University of Witwatersrand Johannesburg South Africa

Sección Virus Respiratorios Subdepartamento Enfermedades Virales Instituto de Salud Publica de Chile Santiago Chile

Service de Virologie Centre Pasteur du Cameroun Yaounde Cameroon

Smorodintsev Research Institute of Influenza Saint Petersburg Russian Federation

Subdepartamento Enfermedades Virales Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile Santiago Chile

Universidad Agraria del Ecuador Guayaquil Ecuador

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