An Overview of Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), a member of the Paramyxoviridae family, is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract illness (LRI) in infants. From 1993 to 2008, the total RSV hospitalization rate in the United States across all age groups was 55 per 100,000 person-years, slightly lower than the rate of 64 per 100,000 personyears for influenza viruses In infants, the hospitalization rate was 2,345 per 100,000 person-years for RSV compared to 151 for influenza, consistent with reports that RSV hospitalizes 1-2% of infants in the US each winter, a staggering statistic RSV disease is not limited to infants. RSV resulted in more hospitalizations in 1-4-year-olds than influenza One in 13 children under the age of five in the US required medical attention for RSV each year, and 60% of office visits were for 2-5-year-olds