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Background. Few population-based estimates of the incidence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in low- or middle-income countries are available. We describe the incidence and epidemiology of hospitalizations for RSV-associated acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRI) detected by active population-based surveillance in 2 rural Thailand provinces during 2008–2011.Methods. Patients hospitalized with ALRI were systematically sampled. Consenting patients provided nasopharyngeal swab specimens for RSV testing by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction.Results. Of 13 982 enrolled patients hospitalized with ALRI, 1137 (8.1%) were RSV positive. After adjustment for sampling and nonenrollment, the incidence of RSV-associated ALRI hospitalization was 85 cases per 100 000 persons/year. The highest rates occurred among children aged <5 years (981 cases per 100 000 persons/year) and <1 year (1543 cases per 100 000 persons/year). Rates were low among older children and young adults but high among persons aged >65 years (130 cases per 100 000 persons/year). Eight (0.7%) RSV-infected study patients died during hospitalization. Annual RSV hospitalizations peaked during July-October with almost no documented RSV hospitalizations during January–June.Conclusions. Our findings demonstrate the substantial contribution of RSV to global ALRI burden, especially in children aged <5 years and the elderly, and underscore the urgent need for effective prevention measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections in young children globally, with the highest burden in low- and middle-income countries where the association between RSV activity and climate remains unclear., Methods: Monthly laboratory-confirmed RSV cases and associations with climate data were assessed for respiratory surveillance sites in tropical and subtropical areas (Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Guatemala, Kenya, South Africa, and Thailand) during 2004-2012. Average monthly minimum and maximum temperatures, relative humidity, and precipitation were calculated using daily local weather data from the US National Climatic Data Center., Results: RSV circulated with 1-2 epidemic periods each year in site areas. RSV seasonal timing and duration were generally consistent within country from year to year. Associations between RSV and weather varied across years and geographic locations. RSV usually peaked in climates with high annual precipitation (Bangladesh, Guatemala, and Thailand) during wet months, whereas RSV peaked during cooler months in moderately hot (China) and arid (Egypt) regions. In South Africa, RSV peaked in autumn, whereas no associations with seasonal weather trends were observed in Kenya., Conclusions: Further understanding of RSV seasonality in developing countries and various climate regions will be important to better understand the epidemiology of RSV and for timing the use of future RSV vaccines and immunoprophylaxis in low- and middle-income countries.