Australia’s active hospital-based surveillance for severe childhood disease

Principal investigators

Professor Christopher Blyth and Dr Ushma Wadia

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most burdensome respiratory virus in children aged under 5 years in Australia and globally. It is the most common cause of hospitalisation in children aged under 1 year in Australia. From 2023, new preventive interventions (vaccines and monoclonal antibodies) have been licensed for use in Australia and are changing the epidemiology of RSV.

PAEDS is further building on its collaboration with the Influenza Complications Alert Network (FluCAN), led by Professor Allen Cheng, to undertake RSV surveillance to collect enhanced clinical data for all children who present to our PAEDS sites with RSV infection. The purpose of RSV surveillance is to understand the incidence and severity of hospitalised disease and monitor the impact of new prevention tools. RSV surveillance is funded by the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care.

Click on the tile below to view the latest paediatric RSV case data.