A study by the University of Sydney found that blockades and border closures of COVID-19 caused a peak in summer in the RSV and east and west coast variants, suggesting that the response the pandemic and the reductions in movement had changed the way winter viruses spread to the community.
One of the two strains circulating in Australia before 2020 accounted for 95% of cases by the end of the year, for example, and had mutated into two variants: one that was responsible for an outbreak in Western Australia and the other was related to NSW. and ACT clusters.
The study’s lead researcher, a senior researcher at the Institute of Infectious Diseases at the University of Sydney, John-Sebastian Eden, said Australia needed to adapt its virus management practices to reflect these changes.
“We need to re-evaluate our current understanding and expectations of common viruses, including the flu, and change our focus on how we manage them,” he said.
Non-seasonal peaks
This could include changing the timing of annual flu shots, as “the flu season in Australia has started much earlier than in previous years”.
Researchers predicted that RSV cases would increase after confinement, as children were not immune to past exposure, for the first time there was no outbreak of RSV in the winter of 2020, but they believed it would occur. in winter, as suggested by previous outbreaks.
But the pathogen was one of the first key respiratory viruses to resurface after COVID-19, with summer outbreaks in Australia, which were also seen in Israel and parts of Europe, prompting Dr. Eden to warn. that the health system had to be prepared -Seasonal bids in cases.
“We need to be careful: some viruses may have almost disappeared, but they will probably recover in the near future, possibly at unusual times and with a stronger impact.
“We need to be prepared for large outbreaks of RSV outside of normal seasonal periods and our health systems are ready.”
Although RSV usually only causes mild cold symptoms in adults, the infection can be severe for the elderly and babies and can cause lung infections such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis.
The study, published in Nature Communications, also suggested that the rapid spread and evolution of RSV since the blockages were lifted could indicate the reappearance of other viruses such as the flu.