International changes in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) epidemiology during the COVID-19 pandemic: Association with school closures

Background: Little RSV activity was observed during the first expected RSV season since the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple countries later experienced out-of-season RSV resurgences, yet their association with non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) is unclear. This study aimed to describe the changes in RSV epidemiology during the COVID-19 pandemic and to estimate the association between individual NPIs and the RSV resurgences. Methods: RSV activity from Week (W)12-2020 to W44-2021 was compared with three pre-pandemic seasons using RSV surveillance data from Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Israel,... Mehr ...