The first year of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) surveillance in Tasmania, 1 July 2022 - 30 June 2023.

Abstract: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) became notifiable in Tasmania on 1 July 2022. This study describes the epidemiology and data quality of all notifications of laboratory confirmed RSV that had a specimen collection date from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 in Tasmania. Descriptive analysis was undertaken by age group, sex, month of notification and residential location; data quality was assessed through completeness of reporting. There were 4,491 notifications of RSV in Tasmania, equating to a notification rate of 779 per 100,000 population per year. The highest proportion of RSV notifications were in children, there was a seasonal increase during winter and higher notification rates in the North region. Data completeness was greater than 98% for most person, place and time variables. This analysis of RSV notifications provides a baseline for the ongoing surveillance of RSV in Tasmania.