How RSV Hospital Stays Hit Families and Health Systems Hard

RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus, is a big deal for kids under two. It's a major reason why little ones end up in the hospital. A recent study looked at how RSV hospital stays affect families and healthcare systems in five European countries: Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and England. The study tracked kids under two who were hospitalized with RSV between 2020 and 2023. Most of these kids were under six months old, and many were healthy before getting sick. On average, kids stayed in the hospital for about six days. Some even needed intensive care. Hospital costs varied a lot by country. On average, each hospital stay cost around €4, 266. But in some places, it was as low as €2, 377, and in others, as high as €8, 541. That's a big difference! Parents and caregivers also took a hit. More than half of the working caregivers missed work because of their child's hospitalization. On average, they missed about 30 hours of work per hospital stay. That's a lot of lost income and productivity. The study also looked at how RSV affects kids' quality of life. Not surprisingly, kids felt much worse during their hospital stay, especially in terms of lung function. This shows that RSV is not just expensive; it also takes a toll on the kids themselves. The takeaway? RSV hospitalizations are a big problem. They cost a lot of money, disrupt families' lives, and make kids feel bad. This highlights why preventing severe RSV is so important.