Respiratory Syncytial Virus–Associated Mortality in Hospitalized Infants and Young Children

Byington CL, Wilkes J, Korgenski K, Sheng X.

Four per thousand children 0-24 months admitted for RSV infection will die, resulting in 121 annual deaths between 2000 and 2011 in the United States. This number is lower than previously estimated. The authors found these numbers in a database study which also showed that the majority of deaths occurred in infants less than 12 months (77-85%) with a mean age at death of 6-7 months. 

About 80% of children who not survived their RSV infection had complex chronic conditions. Cardiovascular conditions were the most frequent single chronic complex condition identified.  Despite the limitations of a database study, this paper provides further evidence that RSV mortality in high income countries is limited and occurs mainly in children with severe comorbidity.

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