Assessing the Full Burden of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Young Infants in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Importance of Community Mortality Studies

Abstract

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supported respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) mortality surveillance studies in several low- and middle-income countries to address the striking gap in community mortality burden data from these geographies. The compelling findings generated from these studies reveal a high unmeasured burden of community RSV mortality, particularly among infants aged <6 months who are the target population for RSV immunization products currently in late-stage clinical development. These findings should inform revised global RSV mortality estimates and inform policy decisions on RSV vaccine financing and prioritization at the global and national levels.

Keywords: burden; community mortality; respiratory syncytial virus.