RSV information and awareness platform Türkçe Frequently asked questions

RSV season is coming: an October–April guide for parents

Sağlıklı Türkiye Association

Available data indicate RSV activity in Türkiye rises in autumn and peaks in the winter months. What this relatively predictable pattern means for families.

Although RSV infections can occur year-round, in temperate climates they concentrate in particular months. Available data from Türkiye indicate that activity generally rises in autumn, peaks in the winter months and declines in spring.

This relatively predictable pattern offers an important opportunity to plan health services and preventive measures ahead of the season.

The calendar in Türkiye

Existing surveillance data and clinician observations indicate the following pattern:1

  • October – November: case numbers begin to rise.
  • December – February: the season peaks.
  • March – April: it declines and ends.

One important caveat attaches to this pattern: Türkiye does not yet have a sufficiently mature national, systematic surveillance infrastructure specific to RSV. Existing data rest largely on reference centre findings, clinical records from selected hospitals and sentinel monitoring systems.1

Why winter?

RSV occurs in all climate zones, but the shape of seasonal variation differs by geography. In temperate climates the season runs from late autumn into spring; in tropical regions infections may continue year-round or peak with the rainy season.2

A two-season multicentre epidemiological study conducted in Türkiye adds an interesting detail: RSV activity correlates positively with relative humidity and rainfall and negatively with temperature.7

What happens during peak weeks?

The numbers explain why the season matters so much:

  • At peak, RSV-related hospital presentations can rise 3–5 fold compared with off-season periods.34
  • In infants aged 0–12 months, admission rates during peak weeks can run 4–6 times higher than in the general paediatric population.5

One further factor compounds the picture: RSV and influenza can peak in the same weeks. That overlap complicates diagnostic distinction and lands on the health system as cumulative pressure.6

What does this mean for families?

Be prepared in autumn. As the RSV season approaches you can discuss preventive options with your doctor. The timing depends on the option, the pregnancy or birth date, the baby’s age and current national recommendations. In general, interventions started mid-season or after the peak are reported not to realise their full potential.

Tighten household measures in winter. Children usually meet RSV outside the home — at school or childcare — and carry it back.8 Good hygiene, cleaning frequently touched surfaces, bringing in fresh air and staying away from the baby when you are unwell all reduce risk.

But know the limits. RSV is highly contagious and circulates continuously. Behavioural measures reduce risk; they do not eliminate it. Protection has to be considered alongside immunisation-based preventive services.

Relax into spring, but keep watching. The season recedes in March–April, but RSV does not disappear entirely, and because immunity is not lasting, repeat infections are possible.

Sources

  1. T.C. Sağlık Bakanlığı Halk Sağlığı Genel Müdürlüğü. (t.y.). Haftalık solunum yolu virüsleri sürveyans raporları. HSGM.
  2. World Health Organization (WHO). (2022a). RSV global epidemiology and burden of disease. WHO.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2023). RSV-NET: RSV Hospitalization Surveillance Network. CDC.
  4. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). (2022). Respiratory syncytial virus infection — Annual epidemiological report. ECDC.
  5. Shi, T., McAllister, D. A., O'Brien, K. L., Simões, E. A., Madhi, S. A., Gessner, B. D., ve ark., & Nair, H. (2017). Global, regional, and national disease burden estimates of acute lower respiratory infections due to respiratory syncytial virus in young children in 2015: A systematic review and modelling study. The Lancet, 390(10098), 946–958. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30938-8
  6. Mazur, N. I., Martinon-Torres, F., Baraldi, E., ve ark. (2015). Lower respiratory tract infection caused by respiratory syncytial virus: Current management and new therapeutics. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 3(11), 888–900. doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(15)00388-6
  7. Turkish Neonatal Society. (2012). The seasonal variations of respiratory syncytial virus infections in Turkey: A two-year epidemiological study. The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics, 54(3), 216–222.
  8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). How RSV spreads. www.cdc.gov/rsv/causes/index.html

The information on this site is for general guidance only and does not replace examination, diagnosis or treatment by a clinician.

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