RSV ComNet: measuring the clinical and socioeconomic burden of RSV in young children (<5 years) in primary care in six European countries (3 studies), 2019-2024

Duration: Nov 2019 - Nov 2024

Background

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections in children. By the age of one year, 60-70% of children are infected with RSV and almost all children are infected by the age of two years. In western countries, mortality from RSV is rare. The rate of hospitalization in young children is estimated at 0.6 to 42.7 cases per 1000 children, with higher rates in younger children. Accurate estimates of the burden of RSV, including in primary care, are needed to assess the overall impact of RSV on society. This knowledge is critical for policy makers to make informed decisions about the introduction of new RSV interventions.

The RSV ComNet Project consist of three successive studies: 

• RSV ComNet I: measuring the clinical and socioeconomic burden of RSV in young children (< 5 years) in primary care, 2019-2020
• RSV ComNet II: disease burden of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in primary care: Italy, United Kingdom and the Netherlands, 2020-2021
• RSV ComNet III: measuring the clinical and socioeconomic burden of RSV in young children (<5 years) in primary care in six European countries, 2022-2024

On this page we present the project information for all thee RSV Comnet-studies. The results (publications) are listed at right from the text.

Overall aim

The overall aim of the RSV ComNet Study is to measure the clinical and socioeconomic burden of disease of RSV in young children (< 5 years) in primary care.

RSV ComNet I (2019-2020)

• Aim: to develop and evaluate measurement protocol a protocol for measuring the clinical and socioeconomic burden of RSV in young children (< 5 years), and to perform first measurement in Italy and the Netherlands
• Method: for the Dutch influenza surveillance, the general practitioners of the Pilot Stations (part of Nivel Zorgregistraties Eerste Lijn) are asked to send in weekly samples of patients with an influenza-like illness or another acute respiratory infection. These samples are examined at the RIVM for influenza virus, rhinovirus, RSV and enterovirus. The general practitioners receive the results back from the RIVM.
• Results: an evaluation report on the development and results of the protocol and a report of the first pilot measurement.
• Fundation: this project is funded by Sanofi Pasteur SA, France.

RSV ComNet II (2020-2021)

• Aim: the aim of RSV ComNet is to measure the clinical and socio-economic burden of disease of RSV in young children (<5 years) in primary care in Italy, the Netherlands and England  (2020-2021)., using the validated RSV ComNet protocol.
• Method: he burden of RSV in young children will be measured in the winter of 2020-2021 in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Both countries have chosen to use the infrastructure of the routine influenza surveillance network to recruit children for the RSV ComNet study. In the summer, data collection was extended because there was no RSV collection in the winter of 2020/2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Results: report

RSV ComNet III (2022-2024)

• Aim: to measure the disease burden of RSV in 6 European countries, using the validated RSV ComNet protocol (2021-2022 and 2022-2023)
• Methods: due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Omicron variant) data collection was disrupted during the 2021-2022 season and extended over the winter of 2022-2023. In addition, a sixth country was added to the study. In the winter of 2021/2022, the data collection is extended to six European countries, namely the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Belgium, and in the winter 2022-2023 data collection was started in France.
• Results: two papers on the data collected in the study:
  • a paper which focuses on the clinical burden of RSV in young children in primary care, including complications after an RSV episode
  • a paper on the socioeconomic burden, including costs, and population-based estimates of RSV infections in young children in primary care
  • a systematic literature review to investigate the incidence rate of RSV infections in young children in primary care.

More information

The RSV ComNet Consortium consists of several international partners throughout Europe, including Nivel.
More information at the Nivel website: www.nivel.nl/en/RSVComNet
More information at the international website: www.orchid.phc.ox.ac.uk/index.php/rsvcomnet2/