Pediatric cases of respiratory syncytial virus led to more emergency hospitalizations than the omicron variant of COVID-19 and influenza, according to a study published Dec. 26 in JAMA.
Researchers retrospectively analyzed data from close to 500,000 patients under 18 who were hospitalized with confirmed PCR tests for the three respiratory viruses between Aug. 1, 2021, and Sept. 15, 2022. They then excluded patients who tested positive for more than one respiratory virus.
The hospitalization rate for children who tested positive for RSV was 81.7% compared to just 31.5% for omicron and 27.7% for flu.
"Hospitalization rates were higher in patients infected with RSV vs. omicron in all age groups, but no differences were observed between influenza and omicron…" the study authors wrote. "Our findings suggest that RSV infections more often require hospitalization and respiratory support…"