Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), named for it causing multinucleated cells (syncytia) to form in cell culture, is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRIs) during early childhood. Globally in 2015, among children <5 years old, there were an estimated 33.1 million episodes of RSV-ALRI, with 3.2 million RSV-ALRI hospital admissions and 59,600 RSV-ALRI in-hospital deaths. In 2015, while >80% of RSV-associated ALRIs occurred in children ≥6 months old, 45% of the hospital admissions and in-hospital deaths were in children <6 months old.

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