Update: respiratory syncytial virus activity--United States, 1995-96 season

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common cause of winter outbreaks of acute respiratory disease, is associated each year with an estimated 90,000 hospitalizations and 4500 deaths from lower respiratory tract disease in both infants and young children in the United States (1). Outbreaks occur annually throughout the United States, and community activity usually peaks within 1 month of the national peak in January or February (Figure 1) (2). RSV activity in the United States is monitored by the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS), a voluntary, laboratory-based system. This report presents provisional surveillance results from the NREVSS for RSV during July 1-December 1, 1995, and summarizes trends in RSV from July 1990 through June 1995.