A recent study conducted by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) and Sidra Medicine, in partnership with Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health and Hamad Medical Corporation, has found that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) poses a significantly greater risk of severe illness and hospitalisation in children than influenza or Covid-19. The findings were published in The Lancet Regional Health – Eastern Mediterranean.
The study analyzed a comprehensive dataset comprising 4,360 episodes of respiratory illness in 3,932 children under the age of 18 who visited Sidra Medicine’s emergency department from January 2022 through December 2025. This investigation is notable for directly comparing the severity of RSV, influenza, and Covid-19 across the full pediatric age range, from infancy to adolescence, within a single national referral center in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Researchers observed that while influenza accounted for the majority of cases (65%), followed by Covid-19 (22%) and RSV (13%), hospital admissions were disproportionately higher for RSV cases. Children infected with RSV were approximately four times more likely to require hospitalisation compared with those diagnosed with influenza or Covid-19. Additionally, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions were more than three times as frequent among RSV patients.
The study also highlighted the impact of pre-existing medical conditions on illness severity. Children with underlying health issues had nearly seven times the likelihood of hospital admission and twelve times the chance of requiring critical care compared to otherwise healthy children, underscoring the vulnerability of this subgroup.
Dr. Andres Perez-Lopez, chief of the Microbiology Division at Sidra Medicine and co-lead author, emphasized the significant influence of underlying health in determining disease outcomes. Meanwhile, Dr. Hiam Chemaitelly, assistant professor of Research in Population Health Sciences at WCM-Q, noted the high rate of hospitalisation linked to RSV infection and pointed to preventive measures now available. These include maternal RSV vaccination during pregnancy to protect newborns, as well as long-acting monoclonal antibodies targeting infants during their most susceptible early months.
The study’s findings offer critical insights for healthcare providers and public health authorities in managing pediatric respiratory illnesses. By identifying RSV as a more severe threat relative to influenza and Covid-19 in children, it underscores the importance of boosting prevention efforts and resource allocation to mitigate the burden of RSV in pediatric populations.