Changing in Epidemiology of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection among Children Younger than 5 Years Old during COVID-19 Pandemic in Northern Taiwan

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of respiratory infections in infants and young children. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted global RSV epidemiology. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the pandemic on RSV epidemiology in northern Taiwan from 2018 to 2023. We retrospectively enrolled children aged <5 years with positive RSV antigen tests from 2018 to 2023, dividing into four study periods based on the COVID-19 pandemic timeline: 2018-2019, 2020-2021, 2022, 2023. The number of RSV positive cases was 1155 in 2018-2019, 780 in 2020-2021, 784 in 2022, and 1116 in 2023. The proportion of RSV-positive children aged 2-5 years increased progressively from 23.9 % (2018-2019) to 52.0 % (2023) (P < 0.001). The mean age of infected children increased over time (P < 0.001). Among children under 2 years old, hospitalization rates declined from 82.0 % (2018-2019) to 68.1 % (2023) in subsequent intervals (P < 0.001). Compared to 2018-2019, seasonal peaks delayed by 2 months in 2020, absent in 2021, and delayed by 3 and 2 months in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The RSV seasonal peaks varied with shortened peaks during the COVID pandemic. ICU admission rates declined from 2.9 % to 1.9 % while mortality declined from 0.2 % to 0 %. Independent risk factors for severe disease included age under 3 months, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, congenital heart disease, cerebral palsy, neurodevelopmental disorders, and co-infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered the seasonality and clinical characteristics of RSV infections in northern Taiwan, likely due to the varying intensity of public health interventions.