In order to develop a surveillance system for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a systematic literature review and meta-analysis was conducted. The goal was to estimate the incidence of RSV-related diseases, hospitalization rates, in-hospital mortality rates, and overall mortality rates in children aged 5 and under. The researchers searched various databases and identified 44 studies for analysis. Out of these, 34 were considered high quality and 10 were moderate quality. The combined studies involved a staggering 149,321,171 participants, with sample sizes ranging from 1,153 to 30,417,106 patients. Among the included studies, 15 reported the incidence of RSV-related diseases (a total of 107,527 participants), 25 reported hospitalization rates (62,691,095 participants), 9 reported in-hospital mortality rates (55,149,680 participants), and 5 reported overall mortality rates (31,317,106 participants). Based on the random-effects model, the pooled incidence of RSV-related diseases in children aged 5 and under was estimated to be 9.0 per 100 children per year (95% CI, 7.0-11.0). The hospitalization rate was found to be 1.7 per 100 children per year (95% CI, 1.3-2.1), while the in-hospital mortality rate was 0.5 per 100 children per year (95% CI, 0.4-0.5). The overall mortality rate was extremely low at only 0.05 per 100 children per year (95% CI, 0.04-0.06). This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights into the prevalence and impact of RSV-related diseases in young children. The findings can be used to inform the development of targeted surveillance strategies and interventions to reduce the burden of RSV on pediatric populations.

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