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Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a leading cause of serious respiratory illness, can affect individuals of all ages, especially children below two years of age and adults 60 years of age and above, as well as individuals with chronic comorbidities, such as chronic pulmonary or cardiovascular conditions, and immunocompromised individuals 1,2.In adults, clinical outcomes of RSV infection vary from mild, cold-like symptoms to more serious complications, including pneumonia, exacerbations of chronic medical conditions (e.g.asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure), and can lead to death 3.The RSV-related hospitalisation burden is especially high in older adults.A meta-analysis conducted on data from high-income countries across different continents (based on literature published between 1 January 2000 and 3 November 2021) estimated that approximately 470 000 individuals 60 years of age and above were hospitalised in 2019 due to RSV, of whom approximately 33 000 died.The pooled estimate for RSV acute respiratory infection (ARI) attack rate was 1.62% (95% CI = 0.84-3.08%),corresponding to an estimated 5.2 million RSV-associated ARI cases 2.As RSV symptoms in adults resemble those of other common respiratory viruses (e.g.influenza), clinical diagnosis of RSV may be challenging.
Bont et al. (Fri,) studied this question.