ASSESSMENT AND VALIDATION OF SYNDROMIC CASE DEFINITIONS FOR RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS TESTING IN A LOW-RESOURCE POPULATION

Standardized case definitions are needed in decision-making regarding respiratory syncytial virus control strategies, including vaccine evaluation. A syndromic case definition comprising of wheeze or apnea or cyanosis could be useful for community-based surveillance of moderate respiratory syncytial virus infection among young infants particularly in resource-limited settings. However, this definition showed modest specificity (29.2%-49.6%), indicating that community-based surveillance may need augmentation with other data.