biostudies-literatureUnknown29(13)Cai WBackgroundNon-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic affected respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) circulation worldwide.AimTo describe, for children aged < 5 years, the 2021 and 2022/23 RSV seasons in Germany.MethodsThrough data and 16,754 specimens from outpatient sentinel surveillance, we investigated RSV seasonality, circulating lineages, and affected children's age distributions in 2021 and 2022/23. Available information about disease severity from hospital surveillance was analysed for patients with RSV-specific diagnosis codes (n = 13,104). Differences between RSV seasons were assessed by chi-squared test and age distributions trends by Mann-Kendall test.ResultsRSV seasonality was irregular in 2021 (weeks 35-50) and 2022/23 (weeks 41-3) compared to pre-COVID-1Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletinhttps://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10979527biostudies-literatureAtypical age distribution and high disease severity in children with RSV infections during two irregular epidemic seasons throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Germany, 2021 to 2023.PMC10979527Tolksdorf KSchweiger BWolff TReiche JHaas WKondgen SSchuler EGoerlitz LDurrwald RBuda SCai WBiere BfalseAtypical age distribution and high disease severity in children with RSV infections during two irregular epidemic seasons throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Germany, 2021 to 2023.BackgroundNon-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) during the COVID-19 pandemic affected respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) circulation worldwide.AimTo describe, for children aged < 5 years, the 2021 and 2022/23 RSV seasons in Germany.MethodsThrough data and 16,754 specimens from outpatient sentinel surveillance, we investigated RSV seasonality, circulating lineages, and affected children's age distributions in 2021 and 2022/23. Available information about disease severity from hospital surveillance was analysed for patients with RSV-specific diagnosis codes (n = 13,104). Differences between RSV seasons were assessed by chi-squared test and age distributions trends by Mann-Kendall test.ResultsRSV seasonality was irregular in 2021 (weeks 35-50) and 2022/23 (weeks 41-3) compared to pre-COVID-12024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Mar2025-05-29T19:22:10.413Z2025-05-29T19:22:10.413ZS-EPMC109795273855109810.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.13.2300465