Burden of RSV-Associated Inpatient Care and Emergency Service Utilization in Two German Pediatric Centers Across Six Seasons Including the First Nirsevimab Year

Gürke L, Hanslik G, Mulzer LM, Zimmermann S, Reutter HM, Morhart P, Wölfle J, Baumgartner MK, Behr AL, Garbe AC, von Andrian HC, Conrad ML, Fahlbusch FB, Hebert S (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Children MDPI

Book Volume: 13

Article Number: 173

Journal Issue: 2

DOI: 10.3390/children13020173

Abstract

Highlights: What are the main findings? RSV caused sustained emergency department and inpatient utilization across six seasons. Overall severity remained stable; severe RSV disease (PICU admission or invasive respiratory support) occurred only in unimmunized infants during the first Nirsevimab season. What are the implications of the main findings? RSV continues to impose a relevant outpatient and ward-level healthcare burden despite stable population-level severity. Integrated inpatient and emergency department data enable nuanced assessment of preventive strategies beyond incidence alone. Background/Objectives: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of infant respiratory morbidity, yet real-world data on healthcare utilization following universal immunoprophylaxis remain limited. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed RSV-positive inpatient and emergency department (ED) encounters from two German tertiary pediatric centers across six seasons (2019/20–2024/25). Augsburg contributed inpatient data for 2022/23–2024/25, including immunization status and severity metrics, while Erlangen provided inpatient and ED data across all seasons. Results: In Augsburg, RSV hospitalizations were higher in pre-immunization seasons than in 2024/25, accompanied by a reduced proportion of infants < 1 year. RSV season onset occurred later in 2024/25, while severity metrics remained stable. Among infants < 1 year hospitalized in 2024/25, all severe cases occurred in unimmunized infants; no severe outcomes were observed among the small number of immunized cases. Conclusions: Integrated multicenter data descriptively coincide with reduced RSV hospitalization burden following immunoprophylaxis introduction, without evidence of increased disease severity.

Authors with CRIS profile

Linda-Marie Mulzer Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Stefan Zimmermann Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Heiko Martin Reutter Professur für Neonatologie Joachim Wölfle Lehrstuhl für Kinder- und Jugendmedizin Steven Hebert Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

Involved external institutions

Universität Augsburg DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Gürke, L., Hanslik, G., Mulzer, L.-M., Zimmermann, S., Reutter, H.M., Morhart, P.,... Hebert, S. (2026). Burden of RSV-Associated Inpatient Care and Emergency Service Utilization in Two German Pediatric Centers Across Six Seasons Including the First Nirsevimab Year. Children, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/children13020173

MLA:

Gürke, Lisa, et al. "Burden of RSV-Associated Inpatient Care and Emergency Service Utilization in Two German Pediatric Centers Across Six Seasons Including the First Nirsevimab Year." Children 13.2 (2026).

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