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Although respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a well-recognized cause of respiratory tract illness in infants, the burden of disease in somewhat older children is less well defined. To learn more about the effects of RSV infection among children aged <5 years, researchers with the CDC’s New Vaccine Surveillance Network performed a prospective, population-based survey of acute respiratory infections in three geographically separate counties in the U.S.
Eligible children (n=6225) were hospitalized between 2000 and 2004 or were seen as outpatients in emergency departments (EDs) or primary care clinics between 2002 and 2004; all had received a diagnosis of acute respiratory infection. Nasal and throat swabs for viral detection were obtained from…