Seasonal and inter-seasonal RSV activity in the European Region during the COVID-19 pandemic from autumn 2020 to summer 2022

Margaux M.I. Meslé; Mary Sinnathamby; Piers Mook; Richard Pebody; Anissa Lakhani; Maria Zambon; Odette Popovici; Mihaela Lazăr; Amela Dedeić Ljubović; Nina Rodić Vukmir; Ayşe Başak Altaş; Emine Avci; Katarzyna Łuniewska; Karol Szymański; Greta Gargasiene; Svajune Muralyte; Ausra Dziugyte; Graziella Zahra; Ana Rita Gonçalves; Tania Spedaliero; Guillaume Fournier; Daniel Alvarez-Vaca; Goranka Petrović; Irena Tabain; Katarina Prosenc; Maja Socan; Jelena Protic; Dragana Dimitrijevic; Alina Druc; Mariana Apostol; Kate Karolina Kalasnikova; Sergejs Nikisins; Janine Reiche; Wei Cai; Adam Meijer; Anne Teirlinck; Amparo Larrauri; Inmaculada Casas; Vincent Enouf; Sophie Vaux; Frederikke Kristensen Lomholt; Ramona Trebbien; Helena Jirincova; Helena Sebestova; Mónika Rózsa; Zsuzsanna Molnár; Gudrun Aspelund; Gudrun Erna Baldvinsdottir; Simon Cottrell; Catherine Moore; Athanasios Kossyvakis; Kassiani Mellou; Olga Sadikova; Johanna Kristina Tamm; Nathalie Bossuyt; Isabelle Thomas; Edita Staroňová; Lyudmila Kudasheva; Boris Pleshkov; Niina Ikonen; Otto Helve; Emma Dickson; Tanya Curran; Kseniya Komissarova; Kirill Stolyarov; Veronika Vysotskaya; Natallia Shmialiova; Božidarka Rakočević; Danijela Vujošević; Romella Abovyan; Shushan Sargsyan; Khatuna Zakhashvili; Ann Machablishvili; Oksana Koshalko; Iryna Demchyshyna; Michal Mandelboim; Aharona Glatman-Freedman; Rory Gunson; Shivani Karanwal; Raquel Guiomar; Ana Paula Rodrigues; Charlene Bennett; Lisa Domegan; Arijana Kalaveshi; Xhevat Jakupi; Gurbangul Ovliyakulova; Neli Korsun; Nadezhda Vladimirova

doi:10.1111/irv.13219

Seasonal and inter-seasonal RSV activity in the European Region during the COVID-19 pandemic from autumn 2020 to summer 2022

Margaux M.I. Meslé, Mary Sinnathamby, Piers Mook, Richard Pebody^*, Anissa Lakhani, Maria Zambon, Odette Popovici, Mihaela Lazăr, Amela Dedeić Ljubović, Nina Rodić Vukmir, Ayşe Başak Altaş, Emine Avci, Katarzyna Łuniewska, Karol Szymański, Greta Gargasiene, Svajune Muralyte, Ausra Dziugyte, Graziella Zahra, Ana Rita Gonçalves, Tania SpedalieroGuillaume Fournier, Daniel Alvarez-Vaca, Goranka Petrović, Irena Tabain, Katarina Prosenc, Maja Socan, Jelena Protic, Dragana Dimitrijevic, Alina Druc, Mariana Apostol, Kate Karolina Kalasnikova, Sergejs Nikisins, Janine Reiche, Wei Cai, Adam Meijer, Anne Teirlinck, Amparo Larrauri, Inmaculada Casas, Vincent Enouf, Sophie Vaux, Frederikke Kristensen Lomholt, Ramona Trebbien, Helena Jirincova, Helena Sebestova, Mónika Rózsa, Zsuzsanna Molnár, Gudrun Aspelund, Gudrun Erna Baldvinsdottir, Simon Cottrell, Catherine Moore, Athanasios Kossyvakis, Kassiani Mellou, Olga Sadikova, Johanna Kristina Tamm, Nathalie Bossuyt, Isabelle Thomas, Edita Staroňová, Lyudmila Kudasheva, Boris Pleshkov, Niina Ikonen, Otto Helve, Emma Dickson, Tanya Curran, Kseniya Komissarova, Kirill Stolyarov, Veronika Vysotskaya, Natallia Shmialiova, Božidarka Rakočević, Danijela Vujošević, Romella Abovyan, Shushan Sargsyan, Khatuna Zakhashvili, Ann Machablishvili, Oksana Koshalko, Iryna Demchyshyna, Michal Mandelboim, Aharona Glatman-Freedman, Rory Gunson, Shivani Karanwal, Raquel Guiomar, Ana Paula Rodrigues, Charlene Bennett, Lisa Domegan, Arijana Kalaveshi, Xhevat Jakupi, Gurbangul Ovliyakulova, Neli Korsun, Nadezhda Vladimirova

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: The emergence of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in early 2020 and subsequent implementation of public health and social measures (PHSM) disrupted the epidemiology of respiratory viruses. This work describes the epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) observed during two winter seasons (weeks 40–20) and inter-seasonal periods (weeks 21–39) during the pandemic between October 2020 and September 2022. Methods: Using data submitted to The European Surveillance System (TESSy) by countries or territories in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region between weeks 40/2020 and 39/2022, we aggregated country-specific weekly RSV counts of sentinel, non-sentinel and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) surveillance specimens and calculated percentage positivity. Results for both 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons and inter-seasons were compared with pre-pandemic 2016/17 to 2019/20 seasons and inter-seasons. Results: Although more specimens were tested than in pre-COVID-19 pandemic seasons, very few RSV detections were reported during the 2020/21 season in all surveillance systems. During the 2021 inter-season, a gradual increase in detections was observed in all systems. In 2021/22, all systems saw early peaks of RSV infection, and during the 2022 inter-seasonal period, patterns of detections were closer to those seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: RSV surveillance continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with an initial reduction in transmission, followed by very high and out-of-season RSV circulation (summer 2021) and then an early start of the 2021/22 season. As of the 2022/23 season, RSV circulation had not yet normalised.

Original language	English
Article number	e13219
Journal	Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses
Volume	17
Issue number	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/irv.13219
Publication status	Published - Nov 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Keywords

COVID-19 pandemic
Europe
epidemiology
respiratory syncytial virus
severity
surveillance

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1111/irv.13219

Cite this

Meslé, M. M. I., Sinnathamby, M., Mook, P., Pebody, R., Lakhani, A., Zambon, M., Popovici, O., Lazăr, M., Ljubović, A. D., Vukmir, N. R., Altaş, A. B., Avci, E., Łuniewska, K., Szymański, K., Gargasiene, G., Muralyte, S., Dziugyte, A., Zahra, G., Gonçalves, A. R., ... Vladimirova, N. (2023). Seasonal and inter-seasonal RSV activity in the European Region during the COVID-19 pandemic from autumn 2020 to summer 2022. Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses, 17(11), Article e13219. https://doi.org/10.1111/irv.13219

@article{0067f6ec92b743df9d7b7df696c4ceb8,

title = "Seasonal and inter-seasonal RSV activity in the European Region during the COVID-19 pandemic from autumn 2020 to summer 2022",

abstract = "Background: The emergence of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in early 2020 and subsequent implementation of public health and social measures (PHSM) disrupted the epidemiology of respiratory viruses. This work describes the epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) observed during two winter seasons (weeks 40–20) and inter-seasonal periods (weeks 21–39) during the pandemic between October 2020 and September 2022. Methods: Using data submitted to The European Surveillance System (TESSy) by countries or territories in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region between weeks 40/2020 and 39/2022, we aggregated country-specific weekly RSV counts of sentinel, non-sentinel and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) surveillance specimens and calculated percentage positivity. Results for both 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons and inter-seasons were compared with pre-pandemic 2016/17 to 2019/20 seasons and inter-seasons. Results: Although more specimens were tested than in pre-COVID-19 pandemic seasons, very few RSV detections were reported during the 2020/21 season in all surveillance systems. During the 2021 inter-season, a gradual increase in detections was observed in all systems. In 2021/22, all systems saw early peaks of RSV infection, and during the 2022 inter-seasonal period, patterns of detections were closer to those seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: RSV surveillance continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with an initial reduction in transmission, followed by very high and out-of-season RSV circulation (summer 2021) and then an early start of the 2021/22 season. As of the 2022/23 season, RSV circulation had not yet normalised.",

keywords = "COVID-19 pandemic, Europe, epidemiology, respiratory syncytial virus, severity, surveillance",

author = "Mesl{\'e}, {Margaux M.I.} and Mary Sinnathamby and Piers Mook and Richard Pebody and Anissa Lakhani and Maria Zambon and Odette Popovici and Mihaela Laz{\u a}r and Ljubovi{\'c}, {Amela Dedei{\'c}} and Vukmir, {Nina Rodi{\'c}} and Alta{\c s}, {Ay{\c s}e Ba{\c s}ak} and Emine Avci and Katarzyna {\L}uniewska and Karol Szyma{\'n}ski and Greta Gargasiene and Svajune Muralyte and Ausra Dziugyte and Graziella Zahra and Gon{\c c}alves, {Ana Rita} and Tania Spedaliero and Guillaume Fournier and Daniel Alvarez-Vaca and Goranka Petrovi{\'c} and Irena Tabain and Katarina Prosenc and Maja Socan and Jelena Protic and Dragana Dimitrijevic and Alina Druc and Mariana Apostol and Kalasnikova, {Kate Karolina} and Sergejs Nikisins and Janine Reiche and Wei Cai and Adam Meijer and Anne Teirlinck and Amparo Larrauri and Inmaculada Casas and Vincent Enouf and Sophie Vaux and Lomholt, {Frederikke Kristensen} and Ramona Trebbien and Helena Jirincova and Helena Sebestova and M{\'o}nika R{\'o}zsa and Zsuzsanna Moln{\'a}r and Gudrun Aspelund and Baldvinsdottir, {Gudrun Erna} and Simon Cottrell and Catherine Moore and Athanasios Kossyvakis and Kassiani Mellou and Olga Sadikova and Tamm, {Johanna Kristina} and Nathalie Bossuyt and Isabelle Thomas and Edita Staro{\v n}ov{\'a} and Lyudmila Kudasheva and Boris Pleshkov and Niina Ikonen and Otto Helve and Emma Dickson and Tanya Curran and Kseniya Komissarova and Kirill Stolyarov and Veronika Vysotskaya and Natallia Shmialiova and Bo{\v z}idarka Rako{\v c}evi{\'c} and Danijela Vujo{\v s}evi{\'c} and Romella Abovyan and Shushan Sargsyan and Khatuna Zakhashvili and Ann Machablishvili and Oksana Koshalko and Iryna Demchyshyna and Michal Mandelboim and Aharona Glatman-Freedman and Rory Gunson and Shivani Karanwal and Raquel Guiomar and Rodrigues, {Ana Paula} and Charlene Bennett and Lisa Domegan and Arijana Kalaveshi and Xhevat Jakupi and Gurbangul Ovliyakulova and Neli Korsun and Nadezhda Vladimirova",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Authors. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.",

year = "2023",

month = nov,

doi = "10.1111/irv.13219",

language = "English",

volume = "17",

journal = "Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses",

issn = "1750-2640",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",

number = "11",

}

Meslé, MMI, Sinnathamby, M, Mook, P, Pebody, R, Lakhani, A, Zambon, M, Popovici, O, Lazăr, M, Ljubović, AD, Vukmir, NR, Altaş, AB, Avci, E, Łuniewska, K, Szymański, K, Gargasiene, G, Muralyte, S, Dziugyte, A, Zahra, G, Gonçalves, AR, Spedaliero, T, Fournier, G, Alvarez-Vaca, D, Petrović, G, Tabain, I, Prosenc, K, Socan, M, Protic, J, Dimitrijevic, D, Druc, A, Apostol, M, Kalasnikova, KK, Nikisins, S, Reiche, J, Cai, W, Meijer, A, Teirlinck, A, Larrauri, A, Casas, I, Enouf, V, Vaux, S, Lomholt, FK, Trebbien, R, Jirincova, H, Sebestova, H, Rózsa, M, Molnár, Z, Aspelund, G, Baldvinsdottir, GE, Cottrell, S, Moore, C, Kossyvakis, A, Mellou, K, Sadikova, O, Tamm, JK, Bossuyt, N, Thomas, I, Staroňová, E, Kudasheva, L, Pleshkov, B, Ikonen, N, Helve, O, Dickson, E, Curran, T, Komissarova, K, Stolyarov, K, Vysotskaya, V, Shmialiova, N, Rakočević, B, Vujošević, D, Abovyan, R, Sargsyan, S, Zakhashvili, K, Machablishvili, A, Koshalko, O, Demchyshyna, I, Mandelboim, M, Glatman-Freedman, A, Gunson, R, Karanwal, S, Guiomar, R, Rodrigues, AP, Bennett, C, Domegan, L, Kalaveshi, A, Jakupi, X, Ovliyakulova, G, Korsun, N & Vladimirova, N 2023, 'Seasonal and inter-seasonal RSV activity in the European Region during the COVID-19 pandemic from autumn 2020 to summer 2022', Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses, vol. 17, no. 11, e13219. https://doi.org/10.1111/irv.13219

TY - JOUR

T1 - Seasonal and inter-seasonal RSV activity in the European Region during the COVID-19 pandemic from autumn 2020 to summer 2022

AU - Meslé, Margaux M.I.

AU - Sinnathamby, Mary

AU - Mook, Piers

AU - Pebody, Richard

AU - Lakhani, Anissa

AU - Zambon, Maria

AU - Popovici, Odette

AU - Lazăr, Mihaela

AU - Ljubović, Amela Dedeić

AU - Vukmir, Nina Rodić

AU - Altaş, Ayşe Başak

AU - Avci, Emine

AU - Łuniewska, Katarzyna

AU - Szymański, Karol

AU - Gargasiene, Greta

AU - Muralyte, Svajune

AU - Dziugyte, Ausra

AU - Zahra, Graziella

AU - Gonçalves, Ana Rita

AU - Spedaliero, Tania

AU - Fournier, Guillaume

AU - Alvarez-Vaca, Daniel

AU - Petrović, Goranka

AU - Tabain, Irena

AU - Prosenc, Katarina

AU - Socan, Maja

AU - Protic, Jelena

AU - Dimitrijevic, Dragana

AU - Druc, Alina

AU - Apostol, Mariana

AU - Kalasnikova, Kate Karolina

AU - Nikisins, Sergejs

AU - Reiche, Janine

AU - Cai, Wei

AU - Meijer, Adam

AU - Teirlinck, Anne

AU - Larrauri, Amparo

AU - Casas, Inmaculada

AU - Enouf, Vincent

AU - Vaux, Sophie

AU - Lomholt, Frederikke Kristensen

AU - Trebbien, Ramona

AU - Jirincova, Helena

AU - Sebestova, Helena

AU - Rózsa, Mónika

AU - Molnár, Zsuzsanna

AU - Aspelund, Gudrun

AU - Baldvinsdottir, Gudrun Erna

AU - Cottrell, Simon

AU - Moore, Catherine

AU - Kossyvakis, Athanasios

AU - Mellou, Kassiani

AU - Sadikova, Olga

AU - Tamm, Johanna Kristina

AU - Bossuyt, Nathalie

AU - Thomas, Isabelle

AU - Staroňová, Edita

AU - Kudasheva, Lyudmila

AU - Pleshkov, Boris

AU - Ikonen, Niina

AU - Helve, Otto

AU - Dickson, Emma

AU - Curran, Tanya

AU - Komissarova, Kseniya

AU - Stolyarov, Kirill

AU - Vysotskaya, Veronika

AU - Shmialiova, Natallia

AU - Rakočević, Božidarka

AU - Vujošević, Danijela

AU - Abovyan, Romella

AU - Sargsyan, Shushan

AU - Zakhashvili, Khatuna

AU - Machablishvili, Ann

AU - Koshalko, Oksana

AU - Demchyshyna, Iryna

AU - Mandelboim, Michal

AU - Glatman-Freedman, Aharona

AU - Gunson, Rory

AU - Karanwal, Shivani

AU - Guiomar, Raquel

AU - Rodrigues, Ana Paula

AU - Bennett, Charlene

AU - Domegan, Lisa

AU - Kalaveshi, Arijana

AU - Jakupi, Xhevat

AU - Ovliyakulova, Gurbangul

AU - Korsun, Neli

AU - Vladimirova, Nadezhda

PY - 2023/11

Y1 - 2023/11

N2 - Background: The emergence of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in early 2020 and subsequent implementation of public health and social measures (PHSM) disrupted the epidemiology of respiratory viruses. This work describes the epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) observed during two winter seasons (weeks 40–20) and inter-seasonal periods (weeks 21–39) during the pandemic between October 2020 and September 2022. Methods: Using data submitted to The European Surveillance System (TESSy) by countries or territories in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region between weeks 40/2020 and 39/2022, we aggregated country-specific weekly RSV counts of sentinel, non-sentinel and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) surveillance specimens and calculated percentage positivity. Results for both 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons and inter-seasons were compared with pre-pandemic 2016/17 to 2019/20 seasons and inter-seasons. Results: Although more specimens were tested than in pre-COVID-19 pandemic seasons, very few RSV detections were reported during the 2020/21 season in all surveillance systems. During the 2021 inter-season, a gradual increase in detections was observed in all systems. In 2021/22, all systems saw early peaks of RSV infection, and during the 2022 inter-seasonal period, patterns of detections were closer to those seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: RSV surveillance continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with an initial reduction in transmission, followed by very high and out-of-season RSV circulation (summer 2021) and then an early start of the 2021/22 season. As of the 2022/23 season, RSV circulation had not yet normalised.

AB - Background: The emergence of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in early 2020 and subsequent implementation of public health and social measures (PHSM) disrupted the epidemiology of respiratory viruses. This work describes the epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) observed during two winter seasons (weeks 40–20) and inter-seasonal periods (weeks 21–39) during the pandemic between October 2020 and September 2022. Methods: Using data submitted to The European Surveillance System (TESSy) by countries or territories in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region between weeks 40/2020 and 39/2022, we aggregated country-specific weekly RSV counts of sentinel, non-sentinel and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) surveillance specimens and calculated percentage positivity. Results for both 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons and inter-seasons were compared with pre-pandemic 2016/17 to 2019/20 seasons and inter-seasons. Results: Although more specimens were tested than in pre-COVID-19 pandemic seasons, very few RSV detections were reported during the 2020/21 season in all surveillance systems. During the 2021 inter-season, a gradual increase in detections was observed in all systems. In 2021/22, all systems saw early peaks of RSV infection, and during the 2022 inter-seasonal period, patterns of detections were closer to those seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: RSV surveillance continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with an initial reduction in transmission, followed by very high and out-of-season RSV circulation (summer 2021) and then an early start of the 2021/22 season. As of the 2022/23 season, RSV circulation had not yet normalised.

KW - COVID-19 pandemic

KW - Europe

KW - epidemiology

KW - respiratory syncytial virus

KW - severity

KW - surveillance

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85177684849&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/irv.13219

DO - 10.1111/irv.13219

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85177684849

SN - 1750-2640

VL - 17

JO - Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses

JF - Influenza and other Respiratory Viruses

IS - 11

M1 - e13219

ER -

Seasonal and inter-seasonal RSV activity in the European Region during the COVID-19 pandemic from autumn 2020 to summer 2022

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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