Each year, an estimated 33.1 million episodes of RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infections occur among under-five children globally, leading to 3.2 million hospitalisations and 118,200 deaths. The burden of RSV-associated severe acute lower respiratory tract infection is ten times higher in developing countries compared to that in developed countries (36.1 per 1000 life birth vs 3.2 per 1000 life birth, respectively).

In addition to acute mortality and morbidity, RSV infection has a long-term effect on children’s health. RSV infection can induce a state of bronchial hyper-reactivity that has an association with the development of asthma in later life, which, in turn, is a significant risk factor of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adulthood.

In this study, we are collecting longitudinal data of a group of 2,274 children aged between 6-8 years in three South Asian countries, namely Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Among these children, 402 had RSV infection in their first two months of life; the remaining 1,873 children did not have such conditions at the same period confirmed by laboratory testing.

Health workers are routinely visiting households of eligible children. Children whose parents provided consent are visited three times in one year period, at baseline, after six months and the end of the year. In the first visit, a research assistant explained the study objectives and procedures to a family member (primarily the mother) of the eligible children to provide consent for enrolling the children in the study. The parents of the consented children were being interviewed using a structured questionnaire to record the current and previous health status of children. The asthma sign and symptoms were recorded using a questionnaire designed following the International Study of Allergies and Asthma in Childhood (ISAAC). During the second and third visits, similar questionnaires of the first visit are being planned to use for data collection. All children are intended to assess by a research physician to record the physical growth, lung function, exercise tolerance, and blood eosinophil level.

For more information please see: https://www.ed.ac.uk/usher/respire/acute-respiratory-disorders/rsv-infection