ABSTRACT
Introduction. Bronchiolitis is a viral infection affecting children. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the South African government implemented non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to prevent a rise of infections of COVID-19. These led to a decline in hospital admissions for acute exacerbations of asthma and viral infections and suppressed the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season during 2020-2021. However, 2022 has seen an increase in the number of children with bronchiolitis including, anecdotally, more severe disease. Objectives. To investigate whether the season post the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic showed an increase in hospital admissions of children with bronchiolitis, and to investigate the severity and epidemiology of hospitalised RSV. Methods. We analysed routine data on paediatric RSV-related admissions to the pulmonology ward and ICU between February 2020 and June 2022. Results. The total number of bronchiolitis admissions increased but, of those, RSV-related admissions ranged from 53% (2020) to 64% (2021) and 43% in 2022. In 2022, compared with the years 2020 and 2021, patients were mainly female, presenting with severe disease requiring longer stays in ICU with the highest mode of ventilation. Children in 2022 were mostly <1 year. Bronchiolitis was still mainly caused by RSV. Conclusion. NPI measures prevented the spread of respiratory viruses. In 2021, the RSV season was delayed to November, possibly owing to lockdown measures. However, in 2022, there was an increase in numbers of patients hospitalised, and a greater number of admissions to ICU, with more severe disease, requiring longer stays in ICU, and higher modes of ventilation. Females seem to be more affected than males, and children <1 year to present more commonly.