More than 100,000 children up to five years of age died from respiratory infection caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) worldwide in 2019 alone. In total, it is estimated that approximately 33 million children had a respiratory condition caused by the pathogen in this same year.
The data are from an article just published in The Lancet and aimed to estimate the numbers of RSV in 2019. In young children, this virus is recognized as the main cause of acute infections of the lower respiratory tract, formed by organs such as the lung and bronchi.
Other studies had already estimated the impact of RSV in children. One of them noted that in 2015 there were more than 118,000 deaths associated with the virus. In addition, an estimated 3.2 million children were taken to hospitals with respiratory problems caused by the virus.
The new research continued those analyses, but focused on a year before the Covid-19 pandemic.
For the research, a review of several articles published in important banks of scientific publications was carried out. So, the scientists made a systematization to evaluate only those studies that reported cases of RSV-associated respiratory infection in children up to five years old.
In total, 481 studies comprised the research review. With the information compiled, it was possible to estimate the numbers of lower tract infections associated with RSV.
The main estimates are in relation to the numbers of cases (more than 33 million), hospital admissions (average of 3.6 million) and deaths (a little more than 100 thousand) from the respiratory infection caused by the virus in 2015.
However, the study also addressed some particularities. One of them was in relation to age groups. For example, babies up to six months old accounted for about 45,000 deaths, that is, almost half of the total number of deaths recorded.
It was also possible to measure some regional data. In this case, 95% of the infections were in low- and middle-income countries. Deaths also had a very high percentage in these places – in total, 97% of them were registered in these poorest regions.
The impact of the disease is great
For the authors, the data observed by the research express the seriousness that the virus has for the health of children, especially those aged up to six months and residing in poorer countries.
When comparing all-cause infant mortality information, the scientists observed that the respiratory condition caused by RSV accounts for 1 in 50 deaths in children up to five years old. Among those who are up to six months old, the relationship is even more alarming, because 1 in 28 deaths would be associated with the virus.
Another aspect raised in the research is the fact that a large part of the deaths were not registered in hospitals, an indication of not having a correct follow-up in the face of the disease.
It was estimated that only 26% of the total deaths happened in medical centers. Again, the scenario is more critical for babies aged up to six months and living in poorer countries – in these cases, only 18% of deaths occurred in hospitals.
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