Epidemiology and viral loads of respiratory syncytial virus in hospitalized children prior to and during COVID-19 pandemic in Hangzhou, China

Abstract

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented to control SARS-CoV-2 have significantly influenced the activity of respiratory pathogens. This study investigated epidemiological changes among hospitalized patients with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) before (2017–2019) and during (2020–2022) the COVID-19 pandemic in Hangzhou, China. We also examined viral load distribution across demographic and temporal variables. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected and RSV loads were quantified using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). RSV epidemic characteristics, seasonal dynamics, and viral load distributions were compared between pre- and pandemic years. General linear models were employed to assess associations between viral loads and age. Among 19 742 cases, 1576 and 2092 tested positive during the pre- and pandemic years, respectively. From February to July 2020, the implementation of NPIs led to the cessation of RSV circulation. However, after these measures were relaxed, RSV cases resurged over two consecutive seasons during the pandemic, notably affecting older children compared to those in the pre-pandemic years (1.00 years, IQR: 0.50–2.00 vs. 0.58 years, IQR: 0.27–1.00, p < 0.001). Specifically, in 2021–2022, an off-season resurgence of RSV began earlier (mid-June), lasted longer (40 weeks), and involved more positive cases (1238 cases) than both 2020–2021 and pre-pandemic years. Viral load distribution demonstrated a clear age-related relationship in both pre- and pandemic years, with younger children consistently showing higher viral loads, independently of gender and season (all p-values for trends <0.001). These findings highlight the impact of NPIs on RSV epidemiology and underscore the need to prioritize RSV infection prevention in younger children from the perspective of viral load.