The RSV Surveillance strategy aims to test the feasibility of leveraging the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System platform for RSV surveillance without adversely affecting the well-established ILI and SARI surveillance of influenza.

The primary objectives of the RSV surveillance are to:

• establish the feasibility of RSV surveillance built on the GISRS platform for future global expansion
• evaluate the performance of the case definition for surveillance of RSV in different age groups among those aged <2>
• ascertain RSV seasonality patterns in different countries and geographical regions
• improve knowledge of the RSV-associated hospitalization burden
• determine age and at-risk groups among those aged <2 years,="" for="" severe="" rsv="">
• build evidence that would enable countries to make informed policy decisions around introduction of RSV preventive products such as vaccines and monoclonal antibodies

The secondary objectives of the RSV surveillance are to:

• standardize laboratory procedures for RSV detection, typing and develop updated external quality assurance for the molecular detection and typing of RSV
• develop a strategy for genetic characterization of RSV
• establish FluMart as a platform for reporting RSV data
• enrich the genetic and bioinformatics resource of RSV in publicly accessible database(s)
• report surveillance statistics to raise awareness and provide evidence to inform global and national health policy decisions
• assess additional costs incurred through the implementation of RSV surveillance (including additional clinical, epidemiological and laboratory costs)
• assess the performance of proposed sampling strategies for RSV detection
• define the role of RSV Reference Laboratories within a global RSV surveillance program
• document the level of GISRS staff acceptance of additional procedures and reports, and of potential negative impacts on existing influenza surveillance
• contribute to the development of a future platform for a broader respiratory virus surveillance, and
• provide a future platform for special studies such as:
• disease burden studies in different age and at-risk groups
• vaccine studies (including vaccine impact studies and studies evaluating any changes in age incidence after introduction of vaccines)
• cost effectiveness of vaccines and other interventions, and
• studies of the spatial-temporal evolution of RSV strains by type and genotype, and the possible relationship between evolution of strains and vaccine effectiveness

The RSV surveillance is not expected to provide:

1. diagnostic services
2. population-based estimates of RSV disease burden
3. data on economic burden due to RSV disease, and
4. data that will give a complete and detailed clinical description of RSV disease in all age and at-risk groups