Population and Genomic Epidemiology of Delayed Respiratory Syncytial Virus Respiratory Epidemic, Israel, Spring-Summer 2021
2Israel Center for Disease Control , Gertner Institute, Sheba Medical Center, 2. Israel Ministry of Health, Gertner Institute, Sheba Medical Center,, ישראל
3Sackler Faculty of Medicine,, 3. Tel Aviv University,, ישראל
4Microbiology Lab, 4. Shaare-Zedek Medical Center, ישראל
55. Pediatric Infectious diseases Unit, 4. Shaare-Zedek Medical Center, ישראל
66. Faculty of medicine, Hebrew university, ישראל
7Infectious diseases unit, Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital, ישראל
88. Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University in the Negev, ישראל
99. Microbiology Laboratory, Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital, ישראל
1010. Pediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, Sheba Medical Cente, ישראל
11Microbiology Lab, Rambam Medical Center, ישראל
1212. Infectious Disease and Infection Control Unit, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, ישראל
1313. Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, ישראל
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the circulation of other respiratory viruses, including the most frequently identified viral agent in children with lower respiratory tract infections - Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
Methods: RSV Samples were retrieved from the National Hospital Database (between the years 2020-2021) and analysed according to various classifications such as: age group, average socioeconomic status, degree of religiousness, and members per household for each geo-statistical area. Part of the positive samples (n=37) were then sequenced via next generation sequencing.
Results: The number of hospitalizations due to RSV infection was higher in populations with lower socioeconomic status, as well as in populations with higher degrees of religiousness during May 2021. Following this wave of infections, the number of cases then declined within the aforementioned populations, whilst rising amongst the rest of the population in Israel. Furthermore, we found that the age range of children hospitalized due to RSV infection was higher in younger age groups when compared to age distribution seen in previous years. Finally, results of NGS showed that the RSV B BA3 subtype was the most dominant subtype circulating in Israeli hospitals.
Conclusions: Although the number of RSV cases declined rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of RSV cases in 2021 poses a threat to the Israeli population, especially in populations with low SES and high religiousness. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to implement RSV vaccinations within possible target populations, in order to reduce the burden caused by RS virus