Investigators: Nigel Crawford, Alissa McMinn, Annette Alafaci, Christopher Blyth, Julie Clark, Ian Barr, Kanta Subbarao, Sheena Sullivan, Patrick Reading, Siddhivinayak Hirve
Project description
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is one of the most common childhood infections, which often presents as bronchiolitis. A subset of an acute lower respiratory tract infection, bronchiolitis can be defined as “symptoms and signs of respiratory distress (tachypnoea, recessions, nasal flaring, or cyanosis) associated with symptoms of a viral respiratory tract infection.”
Since November 2020 Western Australia has seen a significant spike in RSV cases. This is after 10 months of almost no cases Australia-wide due to COVID-19 restrictions on schooling and socialising and improved hygiene measures. A recent Australian randomised trial of bronchiolitis treatment in hospitalised paediatric patients, found that 56-61% of bronchiolitis cases were RSV positive. Not all cases of bronchiolitis at RCH or PCH have a respiratory sample taken, so there is significant under case ascertainment.
There is a need to develop a global evidence-base on RSV epidemiology to inform health policy, vaccine development and potential introduction of an RSV vaccine in Australia. The current global lack of RSV epidemiological data led the WHO to establish an RSV network. This surveillance system utilised the well-established WHO influenza centres, including the Australian centre, based at the Doherty Institute, University Melbourne which is the lead site for the current study.
This study will be an active hospital surveillance study of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), that will prospectively collect hospital data on SARI cases and determine the proportion that are RSV positive. Children <2 years of age, admitted to a hospital ward with SARI will be eligible to participate. Core data will be collected for RSV positive and negative cases, including WHO mandated fields. Sites will include Royal Childrens Hospital (Victoria), Perth Children’s Hospital (Western Australia), Queensland Children’s Hospital (Queensland) and the Royal Darwin Hospital (Northern Territory). Data collection from climatically, economically, and culturally and linguistically diverse regions within Australia will enable a better understanding of how each of these factors contribute to RSV infections and health outcomes.
Funders
- WHO Collaborating Centre at Melbourne Health (Doherty Institute)
- Commonwealth Department of Health (Health)