National reporting for all age groups is needed to accurately determine the full burden of disease
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a pathogen of global importance, responsible each year for more than 33 million infections, 3.2 million hospitalisations, and 59 600 in‐hospital deaths of children under 5 years of age.1 The full burden of disease is likely to be much higher, as 50% of deaths occur outside hospitals.2 The World Health Organization regards RSV vaccine development as a global priority,3 and RSV vaccines have been short‐listed for the Global Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) vaccine investment strategy; several vaccine candidates and monoclonal antibodies are being investigated, and it is anticipated that commercial vaccines will be available by 2025.4,5 Gaps in knowledge about the epidemiology of RSV — accurate burden of disease estimates, its long term effects, seasonal transmission dynamics, the cost of RSV‐related disease — need to be filled to guide vaccine policy and implementation.6
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