The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
2012 , Vol 54 , Num 3
The Seasonal Variations of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections in Turkey: A 2-year Epidemiological Study
diseases, particularly in infants and young children. In order to determine the
timing of prophylaxis, the seasonal variations of RSV had to be determined.
We report the climate-related results of an epidemiological study conducted in
32 hospitals of Turkey between May 2008 and September 2010, on children
<2 years of age hospitalized with lower respiratory tract infection. Information
on socio-demographics, medical history, risk factors for RSV, diagnosis and
severity of RSV, and hospitalization was recorded. RSV Respi-strip test
kits were used to detect RSV. The meteorological data, including average
monthly temperature, relative humidity (RH) and rainfalls of all cities were
obtained, and the correlations between meteorological variables and RSV
positivity were determined. Informed consents were obtained before the study.
Overall, 3,464 children (61.9% boys), with a mean age of 6.4 months, were
evaluated. RSV positivity was 16.9%. RSV peaked in January and March, in
the first and second RSV seasons, respectively. When Turkey was evaluated
as a whole, RSV was positively correlated with RH (p<0.001, R=0.627) and
rainfalls (p=0.001, R=0.572), and was negatively correlated with temperature
(p<0.001, R=-0.778). However, when the regions were evaluated separately,
the rainfalls had a negative correlation with RSV activity in the Black Sea
and East Anatolian regions. The current study shows the seasonal variation
of RSV infections in Turkey in two consecutive RSV seasons. Country-specific
viral surveillance systems are required to detect respiratory virus activities
and to implement health care strategies.
Keywords :
seasonality, children, epidemiology, Turkey, respiratory syncytial virus
infections.