Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Season, U.S., 2007–08
Knowledge of the RSV season can help prevent its spread and protect persons at high risk for serious illness.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of severe lower respiratory tract disease among infants and young children worldwide. Currently there is no effective vaccine against RSV; however, palivizumab (say "pah-lih-VIH-zu-mahb"), a medication that contains virus-fighting antibodies to RSV, can help prevent severe RSV disease, such as pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs) or bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lungs) in high-risk infants or young children. Since these antibodies are given to protect high-risk infants or young children only during yearly RSV outbreaks in their community, monitoring patterns of outbreaks has helped physicians determine when palivizumab should be given.
Outbreaks of RSV occur in communities each year, usually lasting 3–4 months during the fall, winter, and/or spring months. However, the exact timing of the RSV season can vary by region, as shown in the chart at the right, laboratory data from the United States National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS)1. Of the 10 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regions (listed by region number and headquarter city)2 and Florida, the 2007–08 RSV season3 started and ended the earliest in Florida (early July to late January). Florida also had the longest RSV season. The start date of the RSV season in the other regions ranged from mid October to mid December, and the end date ranged from early February to mid April.
Within a region, the timing of the RSV season can change from year to year. Compared with 2007, the season started later in 20084 in several regions and Florida. The table below compares the start dates of the RSV season in 2007 and 2008. The regions and states are listed in order from the earliest to latest RSV season start date.
| HHS Region (headquarter city) or State2 |
States Included in Region | Start of RSV Season |
|
2007 |
2008 |
||
| Florida | FL | Early July | Mid July |
| Region 6 (Dallas) | AR, LA, NM, OK, TX | Mid October | Late October |
| Region 2 (New York) | NJ, NY | Late October | Mid November |
| Region 4 (Atlanta) | AL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN | Late October | Mid October |
| Region 3 (Philadelphia) | DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV, | Mid November | Late November |
| Region 5 (Chicago) | IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI | Mid November | Early December |
| Region 7 (Kansas City) | IA, KS, MO, NE | Late November | Late November |
| Region 9 (San Francisco) | AZ, CA, HI, NV | Late November | Late November |
| Region 1 (Boston) | CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, | Early December | Late November |
| Region 10 (Seattle) | AK, ID, OR, WA | Early December | Late November |
| Region 8 (Denver) | CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY | Mid December | Late December |
Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Respiratory syncytial virus activity---United States, July 2007--December 2008. MMWR. 19 Dec 2008. 57
More Information
- CDC Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
- RSV Surveillance (seasonal and geographic patterns of RSV), The National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS)
- RSV: A Respiratory Virus in Young and Old (
4:37 mins)
References
1 These analyses include data from laboratories shared to NREVSS by SDI, a company conducting RSV surveillance with support from MedImmune, Inc. (Gaithersburg, MD). CDC does not make recommendations regarding the administration of RSV immune prophylaxis. For additional information, contact NREVSS by email at mailto:nrvess@cdc.gov.
2 HHS region (headquarter city): Region 1 (Boston): Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Region 2 (New York City): New Jersey and New York; Region 3 (Philadelphia): Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia; Region 4 (Atlanta): Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee (data from Florida excluded); Region 5 (Chicago): Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin; Region 6 (Dallas): Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas; Region 7 (Kansas City): Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska; Region 8 (Denver): Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming; Region 9 (San Francisco): Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada; Region 10 (Seattle): Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. See http://www.hhs.gov/about/regionmap.html Note that Maine, New Hampshire, District of Columbia, New Mexico, Nebraska, Montana, and Idaho did not have any participating laboratories in the 2007–08 analysis.
3 As defined by NREVSS, the RSV season starts when the first of two consecutive weeks during which the mean percentage of specimens testing positive for RSV antigen is ≥10%. The RSV season ends when the last 2 consecutive weeks during which the mean percentage of positive specimens is ≥10%.
4 The 2008 season start dates are based on preliminary reports. These dates have been updated since the publication of the RSV MMWR on 19 December 2008 (see Source, above).
