Is RSV going around in India?

RSV activity in India tends to follow a monsoon pattern in many regions, with peaks during the rainy months and a secondary winter rise in northern states. Paediatric admissions for RSV bronchiolitis typically cluster during these windows. The pattern is broadly consistent with other South and South-East Asian countries and differs from the winter-only peak seen in Europe.

RSV surveillance in India runs through the same sentinel laboratory network that supports influenza reporting under ICMR/NCDC, with paediatric reference sites contributing virological testing data. Weekly aggregated positivity indicators for RSV are submitted to WHO FluNet via the South-East Asia regional reporting framework.

The highest-risk groups are infants under six months, preterm babies, and children with congenital cardiopulmonary disease. Older adults with chronic lung or heart conditions are also at elevated risk. In India, RSV bronchiolitis is a significant driver of paediatric hospital admissions during seasonal peaks.

India's monsoon climate and regional heterogeneity produce RSV peaks tied to rainy-season conditions rather than the cold-dry winter pattern seen in Europe. Indoor crowding during monsoons favours droplet transmission, and humidity affects viral stability differently from the European winter environment. WHO FluNet's harmonised reporting makes these contrasting patterns directly comparable.

Indian sentinel data treats flu and RSV as separate positivity streams. RSV is dominated by paediatric presentations, while flu activity spreads more evenly across age bands. Peak timing can differ between the two, particularly in monsoon-dominated regions where RSV may lead flu. Clinical overlap is wide, so laboratory confirmation is the basis for distinguishing them in the surveillance data.