Burden of respiratory syncytial virus disease across the lifespan in Australia and New Zealand: a scoping review

• Published in: Public health (London) 2024-01, Vol.226, p.8-16
• Main Authors: Farquharson, K.A., Anthony, D., Menzies, R., Homaira, N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Australia - epidemiology; Bronchiolitis; Burden of disease; Child; Child, Preschool; Communicable Diseases; Hospitalization; Humans; Infant; Longevity; New Zealand - epidemiology; Respiratory syncytial virus; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections - epidemiology; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses
• ISSN: 0033-3506; 1476-5616
• DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.10.031

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection in young children worldwide. RSV is increasingly associated with severe respiratory disease in people aged >65 years. The heterogeneous landscape of RSV in Australia and New Zealand makes generalisation of results from global studies to local contexts difficult. Given the changing landscape of RSV, we aimed to examine the existing literature on the burden of RSV disease and identify evidence gaps in Australia and New Zealand. Scoping review. We designed a scoping review protocol and searched the Web of Science and Scopus databases for eligible peer-reviewed publications. Data from eligible studies were charted and summarised in tabular and narrative form. Of the 153 eligible publications identified, 123 investigated RSV disease in a hospital setting and six in primary care. Only six studies reported the economic burden of disease, all of which estimated direct healthcare costs associated with treatment and/or hospitalisation; no studies quantified the indirect costs or costs to families. In this scoping review, we describe the effect of RSV disease in several high-risk populations, including children and adults. An improved understanding of the RSV burden of disease, both in primary care settings and economically, within the local context will assist with the implementation of preventative strategies, including vaccination programmes. Future studies to determine the true burden of RSV-associated morbidity, mortality and economic burden across the entire patient journey and among different healthcare settings will help prioritise emerging RSV therapeutics.