On Sept. 19, 2024, a U.S. population-based birth cohort study was released that showed that 53.4% of babies were infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) during infancy, and 2.8% were hospitalized. The researchers also found that, among symptomatic infants, 44.1% had lower respiratory tract infections.

The study included 1,680 children up to 1 year old identified during two RSV seasons, 2012 to 2013 and 2013 to 2014. RSV infection was found via active surveillance using PCR testing of nasal samples based on symptoms, and by passive surveillance by serum RSV antibody testing of all children at 1 year of age. The study results were published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.