Respiratory pathogens detected in children aged <5 years hospitalized with severe respiratory illness, South Africa, 2017

Bacterial detections were high in our study driven by the high detection of S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae. Co-detections of pathogens were common and require clinical evaluation to determine their relevance in clinical management. Further, given the high prevalence of RSV amongst children hospitalized with SRI, there is an urgent need for continued efforts towards access to maternal RSV vaccines and therapeutic interventions such as monoclonal antibodies particularly in low- and middle-income countries which experience the highest burden of RSV-associated disease.