Strengthening respiratory syncytial virus surveillance and disease burden estimation in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and South East Asia: meeting report, 15-18 September 2025
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World Health Organization
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[18] p.
This meeting report summarizes discussions held during a WHO virtual meeting convened from 15 to 18 September 2025 to launch phase 3 of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surveillance and disease burden estimation project. The initiative aims to strengthen integrated respiratory surveillance and improve understanding of RSV epidemiology and hospitalization burden in low- and lower-middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and South-East Asia, supporting national policy decisions on RSV prevention and immunization. The report reviews WHO standards and operational requirements for integrated RSV surveillance, sentinel-site process flow mapping, laboratory and genomic surveillance, data management and timely reporting, and approaches to estimating disease burden. Country experiences highlight enabling factors and challenges in integrating RSV into existing surveillance systems. The meeting also emphasized data sharing through RespiMART, selection of burden estimation approaches according to local needs and capacity, and continued collaboration and capacity building through the WHO-led RSV community of practice. Future steps focus on national protocols, data systems, training, technical support and coordinated implementation.
This meeting report summarizes discussions held during a WHO virtual meeting convened from 15 to 18 September 2025 to launch phase 3 of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surveillance and disease burden estimation project. The initiative aims to strengthen integrated respiratory surveillance and improve understanding of RSV epidemiology and hospitalization burden in low- and lower-middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and South-East Asia, supporting national policy decisions on RSV prevention and immunization. The report reviews WHO standards and operational requirements for integrated RSV surveillance, sentinel-site process flow mapping, laboratory and genomic surveillance, data management and timely reporting, and approaches to estimating disease burden. Country experiences highlight enabling factors and challenges in integrating RSV into existing surveillance systems. The meeting also emphasized data sharing through RespiMART, selection of burden estimation approaches according to local needs and capacity, and continued collaboration and capacity building through the WHO-led RSV community of practice. Future steps focus on national protocols, data systems, training, technical support and coordinated implementation.