The cost of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) across all ages to the Australian healthcare system

Introduction Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes a spectrum of respiratory illnesses, including severe disease associated with substantial healthcare costs. To date Australian cost-of-illness studies have focused on the paediatric population. In this study we aim to estimate the baseline annual healthcare cost of RSV across all ages before widespread roll out of preventative strategies in Australia. Methods We developed a model to project age-specific RSV-attributable medically attended outcomes for the 2024 Australian population, including general practitioner (GP) visits, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospital admissions with or without intensive care unit (ICU) support. Direct healthcare costs were estimated by multiplying the projected number of each health outcome by the corresponding estimated unit cost. One-way sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify influential model parameters determining the uncertainty in total cost burden. Results The estimated average annual total cost of RSV to the healthcare system was 397.6 million Australian dollars (262.5 United States dollars). The total cost across all ages was based on an estimated average annual 1.38 million symptomatic RSV episodes requiring 569,803 GP visits, 32,336 ED visits, 31,211 hospital admissions, and 1134 ICU admissions. About one-third of the total annual cost incurred in infants <1 year (32%), with other influential groups being adults aged ≥75 years (25%) and children aged 1–4 years (20%). Most of the total healthcare costs (73%) was attributable to inpatient care in hospital without ICU admission. The probability of hospitalisation following a symptomatic episode was the most influential parameter on total healthcare costs. Conclusions This study provides a baseline cost estimate of RSV to the Australian healthcare system before widespread roll out new preventative interventions. The healthcare cost burden from RSV was substantial with hospital admission the major contributor to the annual healthcare cost of RSV in Australia. These findings support the importance of preventive strategies to reduce the disease and cost burden of RSV in Australia.