Changes in Pediatric RSV Hospitalizations after the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2022-2023, Canada: An Active Surveillance Study

The proposed project will be the largest ever study of RSV associated hospitalizations to Canadian tertiary pediatric hospitals. Cases are identified via our national active surveillance program for vaccine-preventable diseases, the Canadian Immunization Monitoring Program ACTive (IMPACT). IMPACT’s pediatric hospital-based active surveillance network provides a rich source of data with rigorous quality control processes and is an integral part of Canada’s vaccine safety monitoring and disease reporting surveillance systems, covering ~90% of pediatric tertiary care beds in the country. The objective is to conduct the data analysis of RSV seasons from 2022-2023 and add this to the current data from 2017-2022. The previous work determined that the burden of RSV in pediatric populations drastically decreased in 2020 due to public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, before seeing an increase in 2021. This project aims to evaluate if the burden in the 2022-2023 data continues to reflect the increase as seen in 2021 or if the burden has returned to rates seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study will allow public health professionals to make recommendations regarding surveillance of RSV in pediatric population going forward.

Faculty Supervisor:

Joseph Cox

Student:

Partner:

McGill University Health Centre

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

Program: